Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man facing the death penalty for allegedly assassinating rising conservative star Charlie Kirk, made his first in-person appearance in a Utah courtroom Thursday ahead of a judge’s ruling on cameras in the courtroom.
Mr. Robinson’s mother, father and brother sat nearby. Mr. Robinson, shackled and handcuffed, wore a dress shirt and slacks. He appeared at previous hearings via video link.
Judge Tony Graf immediately closed a portion of the hearing from the public in order to address the secrecy of the audio and transcript of an Oct. 14 closed hearing.
Later Thursday, Judge Graf is expected to rule on the extent to which the media will be allowed to cover the trial.
Mr. Tyler’s defense team and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office asked Judge Graf to ban cameras in the courtroom. A coalition of media outlets is fighting to preserve camera access to the trial. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has also advocated for keeping cameras in the courtroom during Mr. Robinson’s trial.
Mr. Robinson, of St. George, Utah, faces seven charges, among them aggravated murder, which is the state’s sole crime eligible for the death penalty.
He’s accused of fatally shooting Kirk on Sept. 10 from the rooftop of a building on the campus of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was holding an event with students on the campus green.
Prosecutors have made public significant evidence tying Mr. Robinson to the shooting, including text messages to his boyfriend in which he confessed to killing Kirk, who he said was engaged in spreading hateful viewpoints.
Mr. Robinson’s fingerprints were lifted from the rifle used in the shooting and he appears on video images taken inside the stairwell of the building from which prosecutors say the weapon was fired.
Kirk was the co-founder and head of Turning Point USA, a conservative political organization that mobilized the youth vote that helped President Trump win the 2024 election.
