Latest news with #PhoenixIkner
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect in FSU mass shooting that killed 2 to face trial in November
The suspected gunman in a mass shooting that killed two people at a Florida State University campus earlier this year is set to go on trial in November, a judge said Wednesday. Phoenix Ikner, 20, is accused of killing two people and wounding several others after opening fire near the university's student union just before lunchtime on April 17. The FSU political science student, who's the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy, was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. At a case management conference Wednesday in Tallahassee, 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff said jury selection in the case is set to begin Nov. 3. Public defense attorney Peter Mills, who is representing Ikner, objected to the judge's timeline, saying he is 'still investigating the case' and adding, 'My client's entitled to effective assistance of counsel.' The judge acknowledged the defense's concerns, telling Mills, 'We can talk about what you need' to properly investigate the case. Prosecutors accuse Ikner of killing two people in the rampage: 57-year-old Robert Morales, a longtime dining hall employee, and 45-year-old Tiru Chabba, a married father of two from South Carolina who worked for a university vendor. Five other victims were wounded by gunfire, while another person was injured while attempting to run from the shooting, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said. Ikner was formally charged on May 12 after being released from a local hospital, 'following an extended stay and multiple surgeries to treat injuries he sustained during the April 17 shooting,' the Tallahassee Police Department said. If convicted of the top charge, Ikner could face the death penalty. ______


CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Trial date set for Florida State student charged in mass shooting
The trial for the Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a mass shooting on campus in April is set to go to trial this November. At a case management conference in a Tallahassee courthouse on Wednesday, Second Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff set jury selection in the case of 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner to begin the week of Nov. 3. Ikner's attorney, public defender Peter Mills, said he needs more time to delve into the case, which involves extensive video surveillance footage and witness testimony. "I object to that, judge," Mills said of the trial schedule. "I am still investigating the case. My client's entitled to effective assistance of counsel." Neff indicated he's open to hearing out Mills' concerns, saying, "we can talk about what, what you need" in order to investigate the case. As far as the prosecution, Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell said, "we'll be ready." So far, the defense has not participated in discovery, the process of exchanging information between the parties about evidence and witnesses. But that is expected to change, Ikner's attorney said. Ikner faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy, and investigators say he used his stepmother's former service weapon to carry out the shooting. Prosecutors in the case intend to seek the death penalty. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.


Al Arabiya
16-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Florida State student accused in a mass shooting is set to go to trial in November
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The trial for the Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a mass shooting on campus in April is set to begin this November. At a case management conference in a Tallahassee courthouse on Wednesday, Second Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff set jury selection in the case of 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner to begin Nov. 3. Ikner's attorney, public defender Peter Mills, said he needs more time to delve into the case, which involves extensive video surveillance footage and witness testimony. 'I object to that, judge,' Mills said of the trial schedule. 'I am still investigating the case. My client's entitled to effective assistance of counsel.' Neff indicated he's open to hearing out Mills' concerns, saying, 'We can talk about what what you need in order to investigate the case.' As far as the prosecution, Second District State Attorney Jack Campbell said, 'We'll be ready.' Ikner faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy, and investigators say he used his stepmother's former service weapon to carry out the shooting.


The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Florida State student accused in a mass shooting is set to go to trial in November
The trial for the Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a mass shooting on campus in April is set to go to trial this November. At a case management conference in a Tallahassee courthouse on Wednesday, Second Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff set jury selection in the case of 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner to begin Nov. 3. Ikner's attorney, public defender Peter Mills, said he needs more time to delve into the case, which involves extensive video surveillance footage and witness testimony. 'I object to that, judge,' Mills said of the trial schedule. 'I am still investigating the case. My client's entitled to effective assistance of counsel.' Neff indicated he's open to hearing out Mills' concerns, saying, 'we can talk about what what you need' in order to investigate the case. As far as the prosecution, Second District State Attorney Jack Campbell said, 'we'll be ready.' Ikner faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy, and investigators say he used his stepmother's former service weapon to carry out the shooting. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Associated Press
16-07-2025
- Associated Press
Florida State student accused in a mass shooting is set to go to trial in November
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The trial for the Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a mass shooting on campus in April is set to go to trial this November. At a case management conference in a Tallahassee courthouse on Wednesday, Second Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff set jury selection in the case of 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner to begin Nov. 3. Ikner's attorney, public defender Peter Mills, said he needs more time to delve into the case, which involves extensive video surveillance footage and witness testimony. 'I object to that, judge,' Mills said of the trial schedule. 'I am still investigating the case. My client's entitled to effective assistance of counsel.' Neff indicated he's open to hearing out Mills' concerns, saying, 'we can talk about what what you need' in order to investigate the case. As far as the prosecution, Second District State Attorney Jack Campbell said, 'we'll be ready.' Ikner faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. He is the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy, and investigators say he used his stepmother's former service weapon to carry out the shooting. ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.