Judge presiding over Tyler Robinson case urged to rein in defense delay tactics

Legal analysts are urging the Utah justice overseeing the lawsuit against a 22-year-old electrician accused of assassinating Turning Point USA laminitis Charlie Kirk to firmly cull what they spot arsenic a "frivolous" defence question delaying the proceedings.

Tyler Robinson has not yet entered a plea oregon faced a preliminary proceeding — a important aboriginal measurement successful Utah's ineligible process wherever prosecutors person to person the justice they person probable origin to bring charges. That has to instrumentality place, unless the defence waives it, earlier helium tin beryllium arraigned.

Judge Tony Graf Jr., a erstwhile prosecutor, was appointed to Utah's Fourth District Court successful May 2025 and is present presiding implicit 1 of the highest-profile tribunal cases successful the country. While he's taken a balanced attack truthful far, ineligible analysts archer Fox News Digital helium could beryllium stricter successful clamping down connected what they spot arsenic "frivolous" motions and hold tactics by the defense.

"The justice has fto it spell connected excessively far," said Donna Rotunno, a Chicago-based transgression defence lawyer and Fox News contributor. "This is thing that the justice could've looked astatine successful penning and said, 'You cognize what? No request for a hearing.'"

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Tyler Robinson, accused of the execution of Charlie Kirk, appears during a proceeding successful Fourth District Court successful Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

A arguable question to disqualify the Utah County Attorney's full prosecution squad could person been denied without days of oral arguments and grounds successful court, Rotunno said.

And the delays person besides prompted Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, to person her lawyer notify the tribunal she is invoking her rights to a speedy proceedings arsenic a unfortunate nether Utah law.

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Judge Tony Graf presides implicit a proceeding for the accused slayer of Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, successful Fourth District Court successful Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

"The Utah Code affords victims of a transgression ‘the close to a speedy disposition of the charges escaped from unwarranted hold caused by oregon astatine the behest of the defendant,’" her attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, wrote successful a tribunal filing.

While prosecutors said Friday they had completed astir 90% of the find process, the defence has moved to person the region attorney's bureau kicked disconnected of the lawsuit due to the fact that a lawman authoritative had an big kid who was contiguous astatine Utah Valley University during the shooting.

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Attorney Staci Visser for Tyler Robinson astatine a proceeding successful Fourth District Court successful Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

The big child, unnamed successful tribunal documents, texted the authoritative from the scene. The communications, however, suggest the kid didn't spot the shooter, and prosecutors person said they person nary plans to usage the kid arsenic a witnesser successful court.

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Defense attorneys Richard G. Novak, left, Michael N. Burt, and Kathryn Nester, who are representing Tyler Robinson, the antheral accused of sidesplitting Charlie Kirk astatine Utah Valley University, look astatine a waiver proceeding successful Utah County Court successful Provo, Utah, connected Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via Pool)

There were astir 3,000 radical contiguous during the shooting — which took spot astatine a Turning Point USA lawsuit successful which Kirk was taking questions from the crowd.

Richard Novak, 1 of Robinson's high-powered defence lawyers, adjacent amazed the tribunal and the prosecution by arguing the authorities Attorney General's Office should beryllium successful tribunal handling the motion, alternatively than the section prosecutors helium wants kicked disconnected the case.

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Charlie Kirk poses astatine The Cambridge Union connected May 19, 2025 successful Cambridge, United Kingdom. ( Nordin Catic/Getty Images for The Cambridge Union)

"The justice needs to toughen up. It’s his courtroom and helium should person done much than 'scolded' the defense, if that’s what you telephone it," said David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defence lawyer and ineligible analyst. "It’s lone going to get worse if helium doesn’t rein successful the attorneys."

Prosecutors person indicated they're assured there's nary struggle of interest, and ineligible analysts are calling the question "frivolous" arsenic the defence has focused connected procedural issues that are not expected to person a large interaction connected the case.

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With oregon without the section authoritative successful charge, Robinson faces superior charges and the imaginable decease penalty.

Charlie Kirk speaks astatine Utah Valley University connected Sept. 10, 2025 successful Orem, Utah. Kirk, laminitis of Turning Point USA, was speaking astatine his "American Comeback Tour" erstwhile helium was changeable successful the cervix and killed.  (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

"I cognize this justice has a much laid-back demeanor, which isn’t atrocious astatine all," Gelman said. "However, this isn’t immoderate small shoplifting lawsuit he’s presiding on. It’s the biggest lawsuit helium volition ever preside over. He needs to person a league with the parties truthful arsenic not to embarrass everyone and laic down the law."

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Robinson's defence squad has repeatedly declined to remark connected the proceedings.

The accused assassin faces 7 charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witnesser tampering and committing a convulsive discourtesy successful beforehand of a child. He could look the decease punishment if convicted of the apical charge.

He is owed backmost successful tribunal connected Feb. 3 for a continuation of Friday's hearing. Gray is expected to instrumentality to the witnesser stand, followed by a authoritative from his office, their big kid and an investigator.

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"Their strategy is delay, delay, delay," Gelman told Fox News Digital. "Then aft they exhaust each the motions, they volition commencement attacking evidence."