Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is due back in court Friday for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.
The hearing this afternoon will deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.
Cruz's public defender also is likely to ask to waive Florida's speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it's waived.
Nineteen-year-old Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at the Parkland high school.