The trial of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will start in June 2028, a judge has ordered.
Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and six other charges in connection with the September 2025 killing of Kirk, 31, who was shot while he spoke at a Utah college campus.
Utah County judge Tony Graf Jr on Monday told the court that jury selection would begin on 21 June, 2028. The prosecution has estimated the trial could last 17 weeks, while defence lawyers have said it could take seven months.
Robinson could face the death penalty if found guilty of aggravated murder, something his defence team has sought to prevent.
Prosecutors previously told the court they could be ready for trial by October 2027 but were willing to move that date back to January 2028 to avoid the holiday period.
But defence attorneys said they needed more time to prepare their case and floated a 2029 start. As well as trying to stop Robinson facing the death penalty, they have also tried to have cameras banned from the courtroom.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, with whom he had two children, had pushed for as early a trial date as possible while also arguing proceedings should be live-streamed. She, along with Kirk’s parents, Robert and Kathryn, have attended a number of court hearings in the case.
At the end of Monday’s proceedings, Erica Kirk’s lawyer, Jeffrey A Nieman, told the judge that while “a trial in the summer of 2028, three years after Charlie’s assassination, does not feel very speedy to the Kirk family”, they had “no choice but obviously to accept the schedule the court’s put forward”.
Nieman added: “The family has waited long enough already; they should not have to wait any longer for this.”
During a five-day preliminary hearing in July, prosecutors outlined their evidence to show probable cause for trial.
This included DNA allegedly tying Robinson to the murder weapon and other items recovered at the scene; confessions he allegedly made to loved ones; and a taped video statement from his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs.
“There is a mountain of evidence that proves that he is the shooter,” prosecutor Ryan McBride told the court in September.
“We know that the defendant is the shooter… first, because of the video evidence; second, because of the DNA; third, because of his admissions; and fourth, because of circumstantial evidence,” McBride said.
Defence attorneys, meanwhile, have cast doubt upon evidence and expert witness credentials in the case.
