NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
PROVO, Utah — The judge overseeing the case against accused assassin Tyler Robinson will announce his ruling Monday after prosecutors and defense attorneys sought dramatically different start times for the trial of a man accused of gunning down Charlie Kirk last year.
Robinson, 22, is accused of assassinating the 31-year-old Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem by shooting him with a .30-06 hunting rifle from a rooftop on the other side of the campus courtyard.
The sides are years apart on when they want the trial to begin.
Utah County prosecutors have asked in court documents and oral arguments for Jan. 31, 2028, as their preferred trial date but said they could be ready in October 2027. Robinson’s defense team has proposed late 2029 as a “soft target” trial date.
TYLER ROBINSON HEARING ENDS WITHOUT TRIAL DATE SET, PROMPTING FIERY PLEA FROM ERIKA KIRK’S LAWYER
Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is seen in court in his first in-person court appearance on Dec. 11, 2025. (Pool/KSL-TV)
Staci Visser, one of Robinson’s defense lawyers, said at a hearing in October that the state’s timeline is “not practical” due to large amounts of discovery.
“Discovery review is foundational,” she said. “It impacts everything else.”
MICHAEL RUIZ: TYLER ROBINSON BLAMES TRUMP POST IN PUSH FOR CAMERA BAN
The court is also attempting to work with both sides to avoid setting a date that conflicts with previously scheduled trials they have in other cases.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
One directly conflicted with the prosecution’s desired start date, a federal racketeering case defense attorney Richard Novak has scheduled for Jan. 10, 2028.
“The reality is rushing to trial does not lead to closure. It does not lead to finality. It leads to mistakes,” he said at a hearing on Oct. 23.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SUSPECT’S LAWYERS MIRROR NOTORIOUS KILLER’S TACTICAL DELAY STRATEGY: FMR PROSECUTOR
Both sides agreed that setting a trial earlier, which would be interrupted for a break during the holidays, could put potential jurors and witnesses in a bind.
SEND US A TIP
The case’s pace has even attracted criticism from President Donald Trump, who wrote on the Truth Social platform that the judge was doing “a terrible job” moving things along.
UTAH PROSECUTORS ASK JUDGE TO SHUT DOWN DELAY TACTICS IN CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION CASE
A map of the UVU campus shows key locations surrounding the courtyard where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025. (After-Action report for Utah Valley University)
“This case should be tried within a month, not three years — and it should be over with,” Trump wrote. “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!”
Robinson’s lawyers used the president’s post to argue that news cameras should be kicked out of the courtroom. Judge Tony Graf Jr. denied the request, as he has done several times previously.
Judge Tony Graf presides over Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing. (Pool)
“He’s very slow — he’s very deliberate on making decisions,” Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, told “Fox & Friends” Monday. “I do hope he sets a trial date. The only reason he wouldn’t is if he says there are too many motions that are still outstanding and we need to get through those first.”
Rotunno expects the judge’s ultimate decision to come back sometime between the two sides’ requests.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
“Justice delayed this long stops being justice for the Kirk family,” Jeffrey Neiman, an attorney for Kirk’s widow, Erika, told the court at the Oct. 23 hearing.
CHARLIE KIRK’S FAMILY COMES FACE TO FACE WITH ACCUSED ASSASSIN FOR FIRST TIME
Robinson did not enter a plea until last month, nearly a year after being charged.
GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL
“Your honor, if you set [a trial date], it will happen,” Neiman said. “Set it, please.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The hearing kicks off at 3 p.m. ET.
