TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Defense attorneys for Phoenix Ikner, charged in the deadly Florida State campus shooting, are asking for the trial to be delayed.<\/p>\n
The motion to continue, filed Monday, also asks for extensions of discovery deadlines. <\/p>\n
Attorneys cite a heavy capital case load and a large amount of evidence to go through in order to properly try the case. <\/p>\n
The motion also claims attorneys have \u201cobserved serious mental health issues\u201d with Ikner that require time to understand. They say the current October trial date does not allow them sufficient time to prepare. <\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Ikner has complex co-morbid conditions that are relevant to statutory mitigation,\u201d the motion reads. \u201cThese conditions require time to investigate their unique interaction, and their impact on Mr. Ikner\u2019s life and behavior. This requires in-depth investigation into Mr. Ikner\u2019s childhood development.\u201d <\/p>\n
Judge Neff has not yet ruled on this latest motion to continue, though he\u2019s generally taken a dim view of any further delays.<\/p>\n
He previously ordered the defense to keep what amounts to a log of their time, to ensure the trial can proceed in an orderly fashion.<\/p>\n
If the motion is granted, it would not be the first time Ikner\u2019s trial was delayed. <\/p>\n
He was initially set to stand trial in November 2025, however his previous attorney filed a request to withdraw from the case, citing an unspecified conflict of interest. <\/p>\n
After a new defense team took over the case, the trial was delayed until March 2026. <\/a><\/p>\n Last October, Judge Lance Neff approved a motion<\/a> from the defense attorneys to push the trial back to its current date, October 19, 2026.<\/p>\n In that first motion, the defense cited over 250 witnesses and thousands of hours of video to go through.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Judge Neff set deadlines<\/a> for submitting evidence, witnesses and pretrial motions. Monday\u2019s motion says the defense has made \u201csignificant progress\u201d in reviewing evidence, but says there is still \u201can enormous amount of data to be reviewed.\u201d <\/p>\n Judge Neff also deferred a ruling on whether to delay the trial again. The pre-trial hearing in May was the first hearing since security and body camera footage<\/a> were released from the day of the deadly April 2025 shooting<\/a>. It was also the first hearing since Ikner\u2019s ChatGPT<\/a> logs were released that have resulted in several lawsuits.<\/p>\n In June, the defense team filed a motion to remove Judge Neff from the trial, saying he could not be fair based on what he said during the pre-trial hearing. Neff questioned the team\u2019s need to interview so many witnesses. He denied that motion.<\/a><\/p>\n Ikner is accused of opening fire on FSU\u2019s campus<\/a> inside and outside the Student Union last year in April, killing two men and leaving several other people injured.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n