TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – One year after the fatal shooting on Florida State University’s campus, the State Attorney is confident alleged shooter Phoenix Ikner will stand trial in One year after the fatal shooting on Florida State University’s campus, the State Attorney is confident alleged shooter Phoenix Ikner will stand trial in Tallahassee later this year.
State Attorney Jack Campbell said he believes the trial will go on as scheduled October 19, now that Circuit Judge Lance Neff has received Supreme Court permission to remain on the case, despite his recent appointment to the First District Court of Appeals.
“Because of that I think we are going to get to trial this fall which is both good for the case and good for the community,” Campbell said.
Newly released evidence in the case paints a terrifying picture of Ikner pursuing people outside FSU’s student union with a gun in his hand as they fled.
Those surveillance videos and body cam videos of FSU officers responding to the scene are sure to feature prominently in Ikner’s upcoming trial.
Campbell is also confident prosecutors and defense attorneys will be able to pick a jury in Tallahassee despite significant local, state and national media attention.
“I am confident we’ll be able to get a jury.” Campbell said. “We’ve had some very high profile cases over the years and we’ve always been able to get a Tallahassee jury. My expectation is we will be able to seat a jury.”
Ikner’s attorney has waived his appearances in court hearings, so he has been in jail and out of public view for nearly a year.
Logs detailing his messages with a chat bot released last week reveal disturbing messages about suicide, mass shootings, guns, and the query “If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?”
Dean LeBoeuf, the attorney representing victim Robert Morales’s family, plans to file a civil lawsuit against ChatGPT and OpenAI.
“This is terrifying and we believe that there are safeguards that have been in place and removed or ignored and this just can’t be tolerated. There’s got to be accountability for this,” LeBoeuf said.
The ChatGPT logs and all the videos from campus that day will play out as evidence in court.
The State is seeking the death penalty against Ikner, who is accused of killing two men, injuring five students and traumatizing the entire FSU community.
“We continue to heal as a community and certainly we in the criminal justice system are trying to help the victims’ families heal and bring closure and justice,” Campbell said.
Ikner’s case was originally set for a status hearing this week, just days before the anniversary, but that was postponed until May.
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.