Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old charged in the fatal mass shooting at Florida State University, is set go to trial at the beginning of November, but his attorneys say they may not be ready.
His attorney, Assistant Public Defender Peter Mills, and State Attorney Jack Campbell met Aug. 13 to update Circuit Judge Lance Neff on their preparations for the Nov. 3 trial.
Campbell said he’s “doing great” with his pre-trial work. “Your honor, I’ve provided an enormous amount [of evidence], probably over 1,000 videos, to the defense through the portal; over 200 witnesses have been named,” he said. “I’m moving with all deliberate intention of being ready on Nov. 2.”
Ikner’s defense is still leery of the quick turnaround.
“Judge, we are in the process of digging through it,” Mills said. “I still believe I will not be prepared by that time.”
Mills told Neff that at least three people from the Public Defender’s Office are working on the case, but he intends to file a motion for continuance by the end of the month.
“Because of the enormous amount of discovery, I want to make sure that my motion is accurate,” he said. “When I file the motion, I anticipate asking whether or not he wishes to have an evidentiary hearing about it.”
On April 17, Ikner allegedly opened fire on FSU campus at the student union. Within minutes, a FSU Police officer shot Ikner down but not before Robert Morales, a 57-year-old dining coordinator at FSU and Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old Aramark employee from Greenville, South Carolina, were shot and killed. Five students also were shot and injured and later released from the hospital.
During a press conference hours after the shooting, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said that the weapon used in the fatal mass shooting was a retired service weapon that was stolen from Ikner’s stepmother, who is a LCSO deputy.
Ikner was indicted by a grand jury May 14 on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, which include counts for two people he fired at but didn’t hit.
Further complicating matters, Ikner has decided to “stand mute” in the criminal case against him. That means that he decided not to respond to murder and other charges against him. He was not in the court room on Aug. 13.
Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Defense attorneys may move to delay trial of Phoenix Ikner, alleged FSU gunman
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
