Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) Nikolas Cruz could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, his public defender said Wednesday as the Florida school shooter appeared at a hearing to determine if taxpayers will pick up the tab for his defense.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit and flanked by five Broward County Sheriff's Office deputies, Cruz looked down as his defense team addressed the court. At least another 15 deputies looked on from various spots in the courtroom.

Attorney Howard Finkelstein pleaded with the court to wait until the probate case involving Cruz's late mother's estate concluded and Cruz's net worth could be definitively determined.

Nikolas Cruz, charged with murdering 17 people, appears in court Wednesday.

Cruz faces lawsuits and there are claims against his late mother's estate, which complicates the matter of his indigence, Finkelstein said.

Whatever his worth, Finkelstein said, Cruz would like whatever money isn't used on his defense donated to a cause that promotes healing and education in the community, the attorney said.

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