School Shooter May Get Inheritance- And Be Ordered To Spend It On Legal Bills

[appalachiablue]

Source: Miami Herald

Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz appears to have been in line for a sizable inheritance. He’ll never get to spend it — except perhaps on defense attorneys.

The amount could be enough to compel a judge to order him to hire a private lawyer, rather than be represented by the taxpayer-funded Broward County Public Defender’s Office.

The Public Defender’s Office, which represents Cruz for now, asked a judge late Tuesday to help figure out exactly how much money will be at Cruz’s disposal. His mother died in November, and Cruz told a family he was living with that he had an $800,000 trust fund, most of which he would receive in two years.

In the court filing, Assistant Public Defender Diane Cuddihy asked the judge to “determine whether the defendant is indigent.” Con't.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article201203404.html

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Updated Feb. 21, 2018 2:03 PM

[JI7]

1. hopefully we can stop with the poor guy had no roof over his head and needed a home talk

[SoCalMusicLover]

2. He Was Going To Be 21 With $800,000

And that was not enough for him. He would have had a very comfortable life. Able to buy all the guns he wanted. But it was more important for him to take the lives of 17 people, and change the lives of 1,000's more through his actions.

And now it's going to go to attorneys, in what will be a useless attempt to be found not guilty. I don't see any way they don't go for the death penalty, so the money will be flowing to all the future law firms he hires.

[SergeStorms]

3. Well, in his defense......

he was very, very mad.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. I Believe It Was Half That

The younger brother was supposed to get the other half.

Bigger question: can they force someone to pay for their own defense instead of requesting public defender's office? That sort of seems like punishment before the conviction.

[3Hotdogs]

9. Anyone seeking a public defender must fill out a financial disclosure form.

Access to a public defender is based on that information and not on presumed guilt.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Thanks

Prevents someone wealthy from letting the taxpayers pick up the dime, i presume?

[3Hotdogs]

17. In N.J., you can get a public defender even if you are wealthy but you repay the

state.

That is interesting because the public defenders certainly have more defense experience than most attorneys.

[christx30]

18. But public defenders offices are highly overworked,

vastly under funded, and most likely, wouldn't be able to give your case the time and attention it needs. That's why some people call them "prison recruiters".
A private attorney would do a better job.

[3Hotdogs]

19. Some states more funded than others.

[IronLionZion]

10. Ask not why mentally ill people make poor choices

ask why society feels it's important to let them buy weapons of mass murder

[FakeNoose]

21. THIS! A thousand times this!

There's not a single reason for any non-military person in America to have access to a military assault weapon.
Don't talk to me about minimum ages, don't talk about background checks, don't talk about mental health checks.
None of this matters. There's no reason for him or anyone else to own an AR-15 (or any other military weapon.)

These weapons need to be BANNED immediately, along with ammo and parts. Stop selling them and start confiscating them now. Nobody is safe for the next 20 years until these weapons are all melted down or rusted out.

[IronLionZion]

23. Society is only as strong as it's weakest links

if mentally ill people are going to keep getting these weapons and using it for mass murder, then it shouldn't be available to anyone.

[Plucketeer]

12. I understand your frustrations

but we can't paint this guy with the same common sense and decent judgement we assume everyone works with. We just can't judge such a mental mutant with the same dimensions we use for our society as a whole. Most of us would be ecstatic at a looming windfall of $800K. But most of us wouldn't level-headedly calculate and slaughter a bunch of folks we didn't know if it meant we'd never get to spend a dime of the.

[FakeNoose]

28. Regardless of anyone's mental health or fitness

... there is no need for anyone in America to own or have access to military-grade weapons. None! These weapons should never have been allowed in our country, but now that they're here we have to stop the sale of new weapons immediately.

At the same time we must ban the sale of parts, upgrade kits and ammunition. Then as soon as possible we start confiscating the military assault weapons that are already out there in people's hands. Given the state of our political climate now, it's gonna be 30 years before today's guns are all rusted out or melted down. Until then, nobody is safe.

Background checks, minimum age requirements, mental health checks, these things make sense for the small firearms and hunting rifles. Not the AR-15s or any military assault weapons. They must be banned immediately!

[thesquanderer]

20. I read that his lawyer is suggesting guilty plea in exchange for no death penalty. (n/t)

[MosheFeingold]

29. $400K

I would think. Half would go to his institutionalized brother.

[regnaD kciN]

4. Assuming, of course, that he was telling the truth to the family that took him in...

While it's not impossible, I've also heard enough cases of a) messed-up people and b) con artists who are good at assuring those helping them out that they'll be repaid soon enough, because there's an inheritance/windfall profit/lottery prize/whatever just around the corner.

[deminks]

5. How about his money go to the victims/survivors for medical bills, therapies, legacies

or maybe a gun buyback program

rather than some lawyer's home remodel or new boat.

Just a thought.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. There will most likely be civil suits that would be for just that reason

"wrongful death", "pain and suffering", etc.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. And if they win, they can split what money remains,

after the lawyers (for both sides) have taken their fees.

Pain and suffering will not be relieved.

[FakeNoose]

22. Yeah it's just another payday for the lawyers

Ka-ching. Once they find out how much he really inherits, watch the fees all go up to exactly that amount.

[maxsolomon]

25. everybody hates lawyers until they need one

death penalty defenses cost millions of dollars. would you rather the citizens of Floor Duh pay for it through the public defender's office?

sometimes DU sounds like a bunch of old retirees at their morning Kaffeeklatsch.

[Plucketeer]

13. Excellent!

deminks - me likes the way you thinks

[appalachiablue]

14. +5

[OriginalGeek]

15. The day after the shooting

the Mother of the family he was staying with applied to be given control over the trust fund and had the younger brother involuntarily committed. If she controls the inheritance I hope the victims can still get it in lawsuits before she spends it.

edit to add link: http://www.newsweek.com/florida-shooter-nikolas-cruzs-carer-wants-control-his-800k-inheritance-report-814207

[appalachiablue]

16. Amazing, what a complex situation in many ways. And folks after money, for sure.

Thanks for posting- this would make a interesting separate OP also.

[maxsolomon]

26. I didn't know he had a younger brother.

Last edited Mon Feb 26, 2018, 03:13 PM - Edit history (1)

that kid doesn't deserve to have his inheritance robbed - if he had one coming.

maybe the filing for control makes sense, and she's actually got the younger kid's best interests at heart.

[appalachiablue]

27. That was new to me too. Yes, he deserves the money, dunno about the woman,

hope she is protecting him though. He was not a problem, had friends from what I read, before the shooting anyway. What a kind of life will he have, both parents who adopted him gone, all the victims of his brother's horrible action, media. It could be very difficult unless he's strong, balanced and finds something to hold onto in life.

[brooklynite]

24. Hope he doesn't spend too much...

...he'll need money for the prison commissary.