SUNRISE, Fla. – A Florida teenager wants to change his name because he shares it with the defendant charged in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.
The mother of Nikolas Marciel Cruz told the South Florida Sun Sentinel her 18-year-old son got tired of being confused for Nikolas Jacob Cruz, the 20-year-old accused of killing 17 people.
Ivonne Moran said reporters called their house after the February 2018 shooting thinking her son was the killer. The final straw came when a man recoiled, pulled back his hand and exclaimed "Oh my god!" after Nikolas introduced himself.
Moran said her son has high-functioning autism and wants a different name when he soon goes to college.
He has applied with the courts to change his name to Nikolas Rene Moran.