TALHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – The trial of a man accused of firing fire on Florida State University’s campus is being pushed back. Instead of November, the trial will begin in the spring.
The trial date for the suspected gunman of Phoenix Echner, 21, which is expected to begin in a few months, was pushed back to March 2026 due to unknown conflicts of interest with the former lawyer.
“Prepare to go to trial on March 30th. That’s plenty of time,” said Judge Lance Neff, 2nd Judicial Circuit.
New capital defense attorneys Blake Johnson and Sarah Morris are taking over after Phoenix Echner’s former defense team withdrew from representatives.
The defense is still trying to buy more time, and with witnesses count, hours of video and evidence of organisation, their small capital team says there are issues with the timeline in preparation for the trial.
“The cases of this size and the complexity surrounding capital prosecutors are average in our office,” Johnson said.
But Judge Lance Neff pushes back these concerns.
“I don’t think it should take years to prepare for this. The Supreme Court said in case law that 60 days are enough for most capital cases. We’re going to give you a 207,” Judge Neff said.
As for the state, Jack Campbell and his team say they are ready to go whenever a judge needs it.
“We’re ready, we’re ready,” said Assistant State Attorney Callaway Scott.
Ichner faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of first-degree attempted murder.
Officials said Ikner started a shooting rampage on FSU campus on April 17, killing both 57-year-old Robert Morales and 45-year-old Til Chava, and injured five other people.
Ikner has not appeared face to face yet. We just saw him zoom and zoom in May with his first appearance.
A new defense means that Ichner’s team has returned to Square 1, and both parties must start from the beginning of examining current evidence in order for the parties to prepare for kickoff next spring.
