Accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson has lost a bid to postpone his case until 2029, as a Utah judge set the capital murder trial for the summer of 2028.
Jury selection for the highly-anticipated case against Robinson — who’s accused of killing the 31-year-old conservative activist in front of a crowd of thousands — is set to begin on June 21, 2028, Judge Tony Graf decided on Monday.
Robinson’s team asked the judge to hold off the high-profile trial until the summer of 2029 on the grounds the lawyers needed the extra time to wade through an overwhelming amount of evidence.
But prosecutors said they could be ready for trial on Oct. 4, 2027, a date which Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, pushed for. However, the state’s attorneys said they preferred for trial to begin in January 2028 to avoid needing to break for the holidays during the trial anticipated to last for 17 weeks.
Her lawyers claimed “each hearing induces anxiety, pain and mourning,” for Erika and the two young children she had with Charlie, according to court papers filed Thursday by Kirk family lawyer, Jeffrey Neiman.
“The Kirk family deserves to have this matter resolved expeditiously,” Neiman argued.
Kirk’s side also noted if the case dragged on for years, taxpayers would have to continue to foot the bill for Robinson’s pricey death penalty lawyers, who have already billed $1.6 million, Neiman said.
“Charlie’s death should not lead to the lawyers defending his assassin becoming millionaires,” Neiman blasted.
Robinson, 23, is charged with first-degree murder and related charges for allegedly perching on a rooftop, firing a gun over a crowd of 4,000 people, including kids, as the Turning Point USA founder was speaking at Utah Valley University, according to prosecutors.
Robinson then allegedly bragged in a text message about the killing to his trans partner Lance Twiggs before he was arrested roughly a day later, prosecutors claimed.
He was motivated to take out Kirk for espousing beliefs supporting traditional relationships that were “repugnant” to Robinson’s LGBTQ+ lifestyle, prosecutor Ryan McBride said at a hearing last month.
Robinson’s lawyers have claimed the prosecution’s video and DNA evidence are unreliable and claimed any animosity Robinson had against Kirk was unrelated to his love life.
Robinson has pleaded not guilty.
He could face death by a firing squad if he’s convicted at trial.
