Charlie Kirk Assassination Trial: Judge Sets 2028 Start Date for Suspect Tyler Robinson

Fourth District Judge Tony Graf on Monday set jury selection in the capital murder trial of Tyler Robinson for June 21, 2028, rejecting the accused Charlie Kirk assassin’s request to push the case into the third quarter of 2029. Graf reserved 105 court days, roughly five months, for the death penalty trial in Provo, settling on a date between the two sides’ proposals, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Kirk’s family said the ruling leaves them waiting longer than they sought. “Today’s decision to delay the trial of the man accused of murdering our beloved Charlie until at least June 2028, is deeply disappointing,” the family said in a statement. “While nothing will restore the time we have lost with Charlie, every additional day without justice prolongs our family’s pain and forces us to wait even longer for accountability.” Erika Kirk, the activist’s widow, had asked for a trial no later than October 4, 2027. “Prosecutors proposed the trial begin in January 2028, rather than hold the proceedings during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays,” CBS reported. Robinson’s attorneys wanted July through September of 2029. Jeffrey Neiman, the widow’s attorney, pressed Graf to set a date. “Justice delayed this long stops being justice for the Kirk family,” Neiman said. “Set it, please.” Neiman has also argued in court filings that Robinson’s taxpayer-funded capital defense team has billed taxpayers $1.6 million so far. “Charlie’s death should not lead to the lawyers defending his assassin becoming millionaires,” he said. Defense attorney Richard Novak, whose team has tens of thousands of discovery files left to review, argued a compressed schedule would damage the case. “The reality is rushing to trial does not lead to closure. It does not lead to finality. It leads to mistakes,” Novak said. Graf said the calendar had to accommodate the mitigation work a capital case requires. “Here the schedule must give counsel time to review missing records, consult experts and assess meaningful leads before making those choices for capital mitigation,” the judge said. “Given Mr. Robinson’s current status, unnecessary delay remains a serious concern,” he added. President Donald Trump criticized Graf in a Truth Social post last month, writing that Robinson should be tried “within a month” and that the judge was “taking forever to ask questions that people already know the answer to.” Graf found probable cause in September for the case to proceed, with Robinson facing seven counts, including aggravated murder. The Utah man has pleaded not guilty. Attorneys return to court on April 11, 2028, when Graf will decide whether or not the June date can hold.