Parkland shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz has been receiving volumes of fan mail at the Florida jail where he is being held.
In a pattern seen before with others accused of violent crimes, Cruz, who is charged with 17 counts of murder in the massacre at the school, has been sent sexually suggestive photographs, greeting cards, encouragement and other kind notes, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, which obtained copies of some of the missives.
Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office represents Cruz, said he was concerned about Cruzs growing notoriety.
The letters shake me up because they are written by regular, everyday teenage girls from across the nation, he said. That scares me. Its perverted.
The Sun Sentinel showed a stack of hundreds of pages of photocopies of the letters Cruz has been sent.
Youre in a tough spot, Nik, and that is something I know, because Ive been there myself, one letter writer wrote Cruz. If you need something, I can mail to you ask. If you need to talk Ill listen.
On March 15, a person self-identified as an 18-year-old woman from Texas wrote: When I saw your picture on the television, something attracted me to you.
The letter was in an envelope decorated with hearts and happy faces, the Sentinel reported.
Your eyes are beautiful and the freckles on your face make you so handsome.
Another person purporting to be a woman sent Cruz nine suggestive photos, the newspaper reported.
Finkelstein told the Sentinel that the piles of letters to Cruz were unlike anything he has seen before.
In my 40 years as public defender, Ive never seen this many letters to a defendant, he said. Everyone now and then gets a few, but nothing like this.
