Tyler Robinson defense pushes for 2029 trial start date
Attorney Alex Swoyer joins the ‘Fox & Friends First’ to preview the pretrial hearing in the murder case of Charlie Kirk. Defendant Tyler Robinson faces several charges, including aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm, in Utah County. Swoyer details the prosecution and defense timelines as Erika Kirk seeks a speedy start to the trial.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
PROVO, Utah – President Donald Trump criticized the judge overseeing Charlie Kirk’s assassination case in Utah on Friday, saying he’s doing a “terrible job.”
“The judge in the Charlie Kirk case is doing a terrible job! This case should be tried within a month, not three years — and it should be over with! The judge is desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk, while taking forever to ask questions that people already know the answer to. The whole Country is mocking him and our ‘Legal’ System. JUSTICE FOR CHARLIE!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump’s comments come after Tyler Robinson’s defense team proposed a tentative trial start date in the third quarter of 2029.
In a court filing, Robinson’s defense team cited the large volume of unreviewed evidence and the complexities of jury selection as justification for the proposed timeline.
ERIKA KIRK RIPS ‘ABSURD’ 2029 TRIAL TIMELINE FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN
President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University on October 21, 2026. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
His defense team argued that setting a firm trial date now would create a “false precision” and could jeopardize Robinson’s constitutional rights, stressing that the death penalty case requires heightened consideration because, as they argued, “death is different.”
“From the point of view of defense counsel, appointment to a capital case brings with it a slew of responsibilities that apply in no other context,” the defense memorandum states.
JUDGE IN ACCUSED ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON’S CASE EXPLAINS WHY DEATH PENALTY REMAINS ON TABLE
WATCH: Armored truck believed to be carrying Tyler Robinson arrives at court
Robinson’s attorneys argued that they must review evidence related to both his guilt and potential sentence before trial, making it premature to set a firm trial date.
“It will create unrealistic expectations for the public and the victim’s representative, it may cause counsel for both parties to give short shrift to constitutionally required activities, it may rush this Court to deliberate upon and enter rulings on important and complex pretrial motions, and it may jeopardize Mr. Robinson’s right to a capital proceeding that has the utmost reliability,” the defense stated.
SEND US A TIP
Judge Tony Graf presides over Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing. (Pool)
Prosecutors said they expect to be ready for trial by Oct. 4, 2027.
Erika Kirk asked the court to schedule a trial for the earliest practicable date in 2027, saying Robinson’s legal team’s proposed timeline is “grossly out of line” with comparable cases.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
Erika Kirk departs court in Provo, Utah, Monday, July 6, 2026. The widow of Charlie Kirk was attending the first day of preliminary hearings against Tyler Robinson, who is accused of murdering the Turning Point USA founder. (Alec Thornock for Fox News Digital)
“Every additional day of delay carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his two young children who were just three and one year old when their father was murdered and would be seven and five years old by the time a verdict is handed down under the Defense’s proposed schedule,” the filing said.
WATCH: Tyler Robinson’s lawyers want 2029 trial to ‘avoid the inevitable,’ former prosecutor says
Former federal prosecutor Fred Tecce told Fox News Digital that he thinks Robinson’s team pushing for a 2029 trial is a delay tactic.
“There’s a legal term. It’s called kick the can down the road. It is just done for the purposes of delay and I think it’s wholly inappropriate,” Tecce said. “Society has a right to have these things adjudicated quickly, honestly, openly and by the rules and regulations.”
“It is the job of a defense lawyer to delay and obfuscate,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, listens during a preliminary hearing at the Fourth District Court on July 8, 2026 in Provo, Utah. (Tess Crowley – Pool/Getty Images)
Robinson was due in court on Friday afternoon.
