Judge expected to set trial date for man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk

A Utah judge is expected to set the trial date for the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk while the conservative activist was speaking on a college campus last year.Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf had been expected to set a timeline for the high-profile capital murder case, including the trial date, during a hearing last month. He ultimately scheduled a hearing on the matter for Monday afternoon.Defense attorneys for the suspect in the fatal shooting, Tyler Robinson, asked that the capital murder trial start in late 2029, while the state recommended early 2028.In a memo filed last month, the defense asked for the trial to start in the third quarter of 2029 -- four years after Kirk was fatally shot during a Turning Point USA event -- arguing that that timeline is consistent with other capital cases in the state.The defense anticipated that the trial could take six to seven months and would require "substantial time" for jury selection. The defense also noted they plan to undertake a venue study and, depending on the results, may request a change of venue for the trial.In the state's own filing, prosecutors said they anticipate the trial lasting 17 weeks and that they could be ready to start as soon as Oct. 4, 2027. However, the state recommended that the trial begin on Jan. 31, 2028, to avoid the "worst of the winter season" as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, attends a pretrial hearing at the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, Oct. 23, 2026.Erin Hooley/Pool/The Deseret News via APKirk's family wants the trial to start as soon as next year, according to a court filing. In response to both filings, Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, asked the court to "enforce the right to a speedy disposition" and set the trial for as early as possible in 2027, no later than the state's anticipated readiness date of Oct. 4, 2027, to avoid "needless delay."Popular Reads"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," a motion filed on Erika Kirk's behalf stated. "They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives. Each hearing induces anxiety, pain, and mourning. The Kirk family deserves to have this matter resolved expeditiously."The motion also argued that a 2029 trial start will come at a "great cost to the taxpayers of Utah."Robinson is accused of killing Kirk with a rifle shot fired from a building's rooftop approximately 415 feet from where the co‑founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA was speaking at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025.The 23-year-old suspect was charged with aggravated murder, a capital felony, which alleges that others were knowingly endangered in the shooting. He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.In September, Judge Graf found probable cause for Robinson to stand trial on all charges. The judge also found that there was a reasonable known risk of death to others at the time of the shooting, allowing prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.Robinson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.