DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nearly 10 years later, we could see the suspects of a Fort Myers mass shooting go to trial. A judge is pushing to get the suspects in front of a jury this year.
Derrick Church, Demetrius O'Neal, Tajze Battle and Don Loggins are accused of killing two teenagers and hurting 14 people in 2016 at Club Blu.
Thursday was supposed to be the day where we got a trial date, but that didn't happen. It was something Judge Nick Thompson questioned.
Watch as Senior Reporter Kaitlin Knapp explains what happened in court:
The State Attorney's Office says when dealing with a gang-related case, the problems that arise are numerous. However, the judge was adamant about getting the suspects in front of a jury.
When Assistant State Attorney Sara Miller suggested a plan to move forward, asking Thompson to get involved to keep everyone on a tight deadline, he pushed back, saying it was kicking it down the road later and going on later than necessary.
"If you all can't come up with one [trial date] on your own, I will set it and I will expect all of you to have your work done," he said.
The State is expecting to take this to trial either July or September. There are more than 500 witnesses, plus experts all over the country, though it's not clear who will testify.
Each trial is expected to take three weeks.
All the suspects need to be in court on Feb. 27 for a pre-trial conference with dates set for certain proceedings, including trial dates.
One defendant, Kierra Russ, has already been sentenced to life in prison.
