TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The trial of a Florida State University student accused of killing two people and wounding six others in a campus shooting in April has been rescheduled to March 30, 2026, after the court-appointed public defender handling the case reported a conflict of interest.
Phoenix Ikner, 21, who has pleaded not guilty, faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder in the attack that terrorized the state capital’s campus. The trial had been set to begin the week of Nov. 3 before 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff postponed the proceedings on Wednesday and assigned new attorneys to represent Ikner.
Court records and statements at the hearing show the delay followed a report from the public defender’s office that a conflict would prevent it from continuing on the case. The nature of the conflict was not disclosed at the hearing. With new counsel now assigned, prosecutors will proceed toward the newly scheduled March 2026 start date.
Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty. Ikner’s case is being handled in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which hears serious criminal matters in the region.
Investigators allege that Ikner, who is the stepson of a local sheriff’s deputy, used his stepmother’s former service weapon to carry out the April shooting. Authorities have not released additional details about the weapon at the hearing. The incident left two people dead and six others wounded, prompting large-scale responses from campus and local law enforcement and raising questions about campus safety.
Ikner was arrested and charged following the April incident. He has entered a plea of not guilty to the counts filed against him. The delay to March 30, 2026, comes as defense counsel is reorganized under court supervision to ensure Ikner has representation for pretrial proceedings and the trial itself.
The case is among several high-profile campus shootings that have drawn public scrutiny and political attention to issues of gun access, campus security and law enforcement protocols. Legal experts said earlier this year that capital cases often involve lengthy pretrial motions and extensive discovery, which can lead to scheduling changes even without conflicts of interest.
With the new date set, court officials indicated pretrial scheduling conferences and motions will be addressed in the months ahead. Any subsequent changes to the trial schedule would be made by Judge Neff based on filings by either side or further developments in the defense representation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.