Florida jury has reached verdict in Parkland shooter case: media reports

Jurors reached a verdict on Thursday for Nikolas Cruz in a 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people. They were expected to reveal their decision to the judge shortly.

In a tweet, the Miami CBS affiliate said a verdict had been reached and court would be back in session at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time for the verdict to be read.

Nikolas Cruz, 24, had pleaded guilty last year to premeditated murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He used a semi-automatic assault rifle to kill 14 students and three staff in one of the deadliest school shootings in American history.

The prosecution during the three-month sentencing trial had argued Cruz's crime was both premeditated as well as heinous and cruel, which are among the criteria that Florida law establishes for deciding on a death sentence.

Cruz's defense team had acknowledged the severity of his crimes, but asked jurors to consider mitigating factors including life-long mental health disorders resulting from his biological mother's substance abuse during pregnancy.