Utah judge leaves trial date unset in Tyler Robinson's Charlie Kirk case

Defense seeks 2029, while prosecutors propose January 2028

Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf had been expected to set the trial date during a Friday hearing in the aggravated murder case against Tyler Robinson, but no date was set. Graf scheduled the next hearing for Nov. 9 after defense attorneys suggested a 2029 trial and said they needed several years to prepare. Utah County prosecutors said they would be ready by October 2027 and proposed a January 2028 start.

Robinson’s attorneys said in court filings this week that they must sift through tens of thousands of files turned over by prosecutors. In the filings, they said they plan extensive investigations into Robinson’s life in a search for mitigating factors that could influence his sentence if convicted, and that they need to devote “substantial time” to issues such as jury selection.

Prosecutors said they anticipate a 17-week trial and would be ready by October 2027. Their proposal called for the trial to begin in January 2028 rather than hold proceedings over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Robinson, a 23-year-old Utah man, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in last year’s killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk, 31, was speaking to several thousand people at Utah Valley University when he was killed. Robinson turned himself in a day after the shooting, and his lawyers have not offered alternative theories for Kirk’s death. He could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

An attorney for Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, called the defense proposal “absurd” and accused Robinson of trying to delay. Erika Kirk’s attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, said the trial should start next October. He argued that dragging the case out for years would violate Erika Kirk’s speedy-trial rights under Utah law as a victim.

“Under the Defendants’ proposed schedule, Mr. Kirk’s two children, who were one and three at the time he was murdered, will be six and eight years old by the time the trial concludes,” Neiman wrote in a court filing. “They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives.”

Utah County prosecutors alleged that Robinson targeted Kirk for his political beliefs. They said a bullet found in the rifle used to kill Kirk was engraved with “Hey Facist! CATCH!” The prosecutors also cited a text message in which Robinson wrote about Kirk: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

Kirk helped galvanize youth voters around President Donald Trump during the 2024 election. Trump weighed in on the case in a social media post before Friday’s hearing, saying it should be tried “within a month.” He criticized Graf, a former prosecutor appointed as a judge last year, for “taking forever to ask questions that people already know the answer to.”

The schedule remained unsettled after Friday’s hearing. The pending proposals include next October, requested by Erika Kirk’s attorney; January 2028, proposed by prosecutors; and 2029, suggested by defense attorneys. Graf scheduled the next hearing for Nov. 9.