THURSDAY, 4:15PM ET UPDATE:  Nikolas Cruz withdrew his not guilty plea Thursday and instead chose to "stand mute," according to a court motion.

The Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.

PREVIOUS REPORT:

grand jury in Broward County has formally indicted Nikolas Cruz in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, the county's state attorney announced Wednesday.

The panel charged the 19-year-old with 17 counts of premeditated first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder in the mass shooting at the Parkland high school that left 14 students and three adults dead.

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Orange Crush event organizer Steven Smalls looks out at Tybee Island's South Beach, site of the 2025 HBCU spring break festival scheduled for April 19 on Georgia's coast. (Justin Taylor/The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Credit: Justin Taylor for The Atlanta Journal Constitution