FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Prosecutors are seeking mental health and medical records of the former student charged in last year's Parkland school massacre.
The state asked Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Tuesday to order a psychologist and an orthopedic clinic to turn over Nikolas Cruz's records.
Psychologist Daniel Mauer treated Cruz before the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead. Prosecutors said they should have access to his records because Cruz told deputies that voices told him to kill people. They want to see if Cruz ever claimed that during sessions with Mauer.
Northwest Broward Orthopedic Associates treated Cruz for a broken arm shortly before the shooting. Prosecutors want to see if any treatment he received could have affected his mental health.
At one point during the hearing, Cruz put his head on the table and covered his ears with his fingers as the court played social media videos of threats he made to shoot up the school. He appeared to not want to hear his voice.
"My goal is at least 20 people with an AR-15," Cruz is heard saying in one recording.
Scherer said she would issue a written order in about a week.
Cruz, 20, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and have rejected an offer by defense attorneys to have Cruz plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence.