Parkland victims’ families tell judge they don’t want money issues to delay justice

Two relatives of Parkland shooting victims told a Broward Circuit Court judge they don’t care if the shooter has to use his own money to defend himself or not, they just don’t want any more delays in seeing justice served.

Judge Elizabeth Scherer heard arguments Wednesday on a Public Defender’s Office motion to withdraw from the case, which it said was required because shooter Nikolas Cruz stands to benefit from an annuity of his late mother that could provide him more than $400,000. Chief Assistant Public Defender Diane Cuddihy said it is against state law for her office to represent a client who is not indigent.

But Assistant State Attorney Joel Silvershein said the money can’t be considered because Cruz has never filed a claim for it, even before the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in which 17 were killed and 17 wounded. His mother died in November 2017.

Scherer said she will take the arguments under advisement and issue a ruling as soon as possible. Until then, she said the two sides would continue proceeding toward trial as they have been. The trial is tentatively scheduled for January.

Debbie Hixon, wife of slain Stoneman Douglas High athletic director Chris Hixon, told Scherer that anything that causes a further delay would be “unbearable” for her and other families of victims who were slain or wounded. She said it wasn’t about the families getting the money.

“I don’t want a penny from him. I don’t want crap from him. I just want him to die. I just want him to get the death penalty,” Hixon said. “If that money becomes available, then he should put it back in the Public Defender’s Office so the taxpayers could have their money back.”

David Wilford, father of Maddy Wilford who also was shot, spoke in court.

The annuity, which is eligible to be split 50-50 with his brother, Zachary, had a value of about $863,000 as of Monday, said Jeannine Jacobson, an attorney for MetLife. Cruz could dismiss his interest in the annuity, which would allow his brother to collect the whole amount, she said.