A date has been set for trial in the case of confessed Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz versus the State of Florida.
Judge Elizabeth Scherer issued an order on Thursday announcing the pretrial motions will begin on January 13, 2020 and jury selection will start on January 27.
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"In February, 2019, this Court put all parties on notice that the trial in this matter would commence in January, 2020," the order states.
However, the decision was not well received by Cruz's public defenders, who have in the past argued in favor of delaying the beginning of the trial.
"We do not believe that that is a realistic trial date," Melisa McNeill said at a hearing in July. She is one of the attorneys representing Cruz.
As of July, the defense had taken 91 of 131 depositions.
Read More: Judge, Defense Argue Over Proposed January 2020 Trial Date For Confessed Parkland Shooter
Scherer had originally intended to start the trial proceedings in September of this year.
The state of Florida is pursuing the death penalty for Cruz. He was indicted by a grand jury in March 2018 and faces 17 charges of first-degree murder and 17 charges of attempted first-degree murder stemming from the massacre at marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018.
You can read the Judge's order in full below:
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