The public defender’s office representing Nikolas Cruz, who has been charged with killing 17 people in the Parkland school shooting, asked to be removed from the case on Wednesday after learning that Mr. Cruz had been awarded half of a life insurance policy worth almost $865,000.

When Mr. Cruz received public defense services last year, his lawyers wrote in court filings that he was a possible beneficiary in the estates of his parents, Lynda and Roger Cruz. But on Wednesday, his lawyers said that neither they nor Mr. Cruz, 20, had expected the payout to be so large.

“It has come to the attention of undersigned counsel that Nikolas Cruz is a beneficiary in a MetLife life insurance policy and is entitled to half of a death benefit valued at $864,929.17 as of April 23, 2019,” the public defender’s office wrote. “The defendant and undersigned counsel were previously unaware of this entitlement.”

The court filing did not say which of Mr. Cruz’s parents had bought the life insurance policy, which will pay him more than $430,000. It also did not say who was splitting the money with Mr. Cruz, but he was one of two children adopted by his parents. The other was his brother, Zachary.