Nikolas Cruz set to plead guilty to Parkland massacre

Nikolas Cruz is scheduled to plead guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder Wednesday for the 2018 shooting massacre at a Florida high school, as his attorneys turn their focus to saving him from a death sentence.

Cruz, 23, will appear before Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who will ask him a lengthy list of questions to gauge his mental competency. Scherer will then ask him one by one how he pleads to each killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to the 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder for those who were wounded.

His attorneys announced his intention to plead guilty during a hearing last week.

Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime died in the shooting, said he visited her grave this week to ask her for the strength to get through Wednesday's hearing.

"She was the toughest, wisest person I ever knew," he said. "My daughter always fought for what was right. My daughter despised bullies and would put herself in the middle of someone being bullied to make it stop."