A Utah judge on Monday set jury selection in Tyler Robinson’s trial for June 21, 2028, in the case over the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem. Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including aggravated murder, in the killing of Kirk, a prominent right-wing figure and ally of President Donald Trump.
Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf set the date after Robinson’s attorneys requested a late 2029 trial, saying they needed time to challenge Utah’s request for the death penalty, gather additional evidence and seek a change of venue. Robinson’s lawyers expect the trial to last six to seven months.
Prosecutors had sought a Jan. 31, 2028, start for what they expect to be a 17-week trial. In a separate filing, Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, asked for the trial to begin in 2027, saying that would speed a painful legal process. Trump last month criticized Graf’s handling of the case, saying the trial should start within a month and that the judge was asking “questions that people already know the answer to.”
Kirk was a polarizing figure in U.S. politics. Conservatives admired him for mobilizing young voters around his Christian and right-wing views, while civil rights advocates criticized rhetoric they called racist, anti-immigrant, transphobic and misogynist, citing public remarks denigrating Black Americans, LGBTQ communities, Muslims and immigrants.
Prosecutors allege Robinson targeted Kirk because of Kirk’s opposition to gay marriage and transgender rights. Defense attorney Richard Novak has said in court that Kirk spoke “hatefully” about people who did not have traditional gender identities or were not heterosexual. But Robinson’s defense says there is no evidence that Robinson opposed those views.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-court-sets-2028-trial-date-for-charlie-kirk-assassination-12305512#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-11-10 03:09:00
