Attorneys For Parkland Shooting Suspect Nikolas Cruz Want Jail Records Kept Private
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) — Self-confessed Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz was back in court Tuesday afternoon for another hearing.
Defense lawyers are asking a judge to keep jail records about Cruz's mental condition private.
Lawyers for the 20-year-old Cruz said at a hearing Tuesday that the Broward County jail records are similar to medical records that must stay sealed to protect his privacy.
They are from daily observation reports done by corrections officers because Cruz is on suicide watch and listed as having an "altered mental state."
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer did not immediately rule on the request.
The sheriff's office says the reports are not done by medical professionals and are not the same as medical records.
Cruz faces the death penalty if convicted of the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people and wounded 17 others.
His lawyers say he would plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence.
Cruz is also charged with assaulting a corrections officer in the jail where he is being held without bail.
The next status hearing for Cruz will be Jan. 8.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
