Lawyers dispute claim Robinson acted over Kirk’s ‘hatred’
Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, argued that Robinson should not be eligible for the death penalty because the shooter “hit the intended target” during the assassination last year at a Utah event attended by thousands of people.
Robinson’s attorneys said prosecutors have not proven that other attendees at Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 were endangered by the shooting. That endangerment is a potentially aggravating factor under state law that would make the killing a capital crime, according to the defense.
The death-penalty argument marks the latest turn in a case that has centered on both the circumstances of the shooting and the motives attributed to the defendant.
Defense lawyers also disputed claims that Robinson targeted Kirk over his political views. Prosecutors alleged that Robinson told his roommate he killed the activist because he “had enough of his hatred.”
The defense said that statement was not enough to prove what could have motivated Robinson. Searches of his apartment, computers and telephone failed to produce anything beyond that single statement, the lawyers said.
The assassination took place at a Kirk event attended by thousands of people. The case has drawn attention because of the activist’s prominence and the question of whether the killing should be punished as a capital offense.
The defense’s challenge leaves the aggravating-factor question — whether others at the event were endangered — at the center of the eligibility dispute. Whether the state can establish that factor will determine if Robinson faces the death penalty for the killing.