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FSU shooting suspect set to make first in-person court appearance

Phoenix Ikner appeared virtually at every hearing since April 2025 arrest

Mugshot of Phoenix Ikner (Credit: Leon County Sheriff's Office) (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – More than a year after a mass shooting at Florida State University killed two people and injured five others, the accused gunman is set to walk into a Leon County courtroom in person for the first time.

Phoenix Ikner, 21, is scheduled for a case management conference on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

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Until now, Ikner has appeared virtually for all previous court proceedings. He faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

The conference comes after Ikner’s public defender filed dozens of motions in recent weeks. In one filing, the defense argued that the “overwhelming volume” of discovery material — including the defendant’s ChatGPT logs — presents “serious challenges” to its ability to meet the state’s proposed timeline.

Prosecutors are concerned that those unresolved issues could force a delay in the case. The trial is currently scheduled for October.

In the defense’s most recent motion, the judge is being asked to deny a scheduling order that would require the defense to disclose trial witnesses by June 1.

Ikner is accused of opening fire in and around the FSU Student Union during a three-minute rampage in April 2025. The state is seeking the death penalty.


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