
Nikolas Cruz has confessed to the crime and his lawyers say he would plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Lowry said the move to Virginia will give Zachary Cruz a chance to live a relatively normal life and escape the shadow of the Stoneman Douglas shooting. He has been living in a hotel since then. Nikolas Cruz moved out after a dispute with Deschamps over his gun ownership and went to live with another family shortly before the Stoneman Douglas shooting.ĭeschamps told Zachary Cruz he had to leave her home after he was arrested last week for violating probation by driving his mother’s car without a license, attorney Mark Lowry said. Zachary Cruz had been living with a caretaker, Rocxanne Deschamps, who initially took in both brothers after their mother died in November. “I’m looking forward to starting a new life there.” “I’m very happy with the court’s ruling,” Zachary Cruz, dressed in a charcoal suit and plaid tie, told reporters after the hearing. He will make $13 an hour and still face a host of probation restrictions including no possession of weapons or ammunition, no drug or alcohol use and no visits to any school unless he is enrolled there. “Make wise choices.”Ĭruz’s job as a maintenance technician and living quarters will be provided by Nexus Services, which specializes in helping people adjust after prison or treatment. “You need to just take this moment and appreciate what they’re offering you,” Brown told Zachary Cruz.

Nikolas Cruz is accused of killing 17 people there in the Valentine’s Day shooting rampage.

Zachary Cruz, 18, had to get permission from Broward County Judge Melinda Brown to move to Staunton, Virginia, because he is on six months’ probation for trespassing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The brother of Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz can serve out his probation for trespassing in Virginia, where his lawyer says a home, a job and educational opportunities await, a judge ruled Friday.
