The man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk looked calm and chuckled with his lawyers as he made his first in-person court appearance — as a judge named Erika Kirk as the official victim representative for her slain husband.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was brought into the Provo, Utah, courtroom wearing a simple blue button-down and argyle tie as his lawyers argued that media shouldn’t be allowed to film his hearings, claiming they could potentially taint a jury and bring “chaos” to the trial.
“We don’t want the chaos that is out in the media in this courtroom,” Robinson’s attorney, Staci Visser, told the court.
Judge Tony Graf was also set to decide whether parts of a transcript from a phone hearing in October — which determined Robinson could wear street clothes in court — could be made public.
Graf ultimately deferred judgment on both matters after closing the hearing for more than two hours for private arguments. He then scheduled a hearing for Dec. 29 to make his final ruling.
“I would rather do it right and take more time, than to be rash and miss the mark,” Graf said of making the October hearing minutes public. “It is an important issue.”
But Tyler’s defense seemed determined to prove its point against media access — complaining in the middle of the hearing that the day’s live feed had been broadcasting their conversations, computer screens and documents to the world.
Here’s the latest on the Charlie Kirk shooting in Utah
- Police identified Tyler Robinson, 22, as the alleged assassin who fatally shot Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
- Robinson was charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
- Law enforcement confirmed that Robinson was living with a transgender roommate, and communications between the two helped the feds catch the alleged assassin.
- Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder, was attending an event on his American Comeback Tour when he was struck in the neck by a single shot.
- President Trump was among many who have called for the assassin to receive the death penalty.
- Kirk’s body was brought to Arizona from Utah on Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, and taken to Phoenix’s Hansen Mortuary Chapel.
- Kirk’s funeral, which Trump has promised to attend, is scheduled for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
- Kirk, a rising MAGA star, is survived by his wife and two young children.
They also complained that the feed showed the shackles binding Robinson, which violated a prior agreement to keep them hidden from public view.
“We believe this threatened my client’s right to a fair trial,” Visser said. “That’s entirely inappropriate.”
Visser asked that cameras be turned off for the rest of the hearing, but the judge ordered that they merely be moved away from the defense table.
Thursday’s hearing was the first time Robinson was physically present and seen in court. Prior hearings were virtual.
Robinson looked unfazed by the grim charges he faces — which accused him of brutally shooting the 31-year-old Kirk on Sept. 10 during a Turning Point USA talk at Utah Valley University in front of a crowd of thousands.
Kirk — a father of two credited with galvanizing young conservatives — was struck once in the neck and bled out while the horrified crowd looked on in a scene that shook the country as videos of the murder from varying angles boomeranged around the internet.
Robinson is facing charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
But Graf said Robinson must remain shackled — citing the safety of those in court — and instructed the media not to capture images of the restraints.
Robinson’s push to have cameras removed from the court has been supported by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office — but Kirk’s widow, Erika, has been vocal about allowing the country to see her husband’s accused killer.
“There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered,” she told Fox News’ Jesse Watters in November. “There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear. We deserve to have cameras in there.”
Whether she gets that wish or not at Robinson’s next appearance, she at least will be able to stand for her husband during the trial — as the judge granted her request that she be deemed the official victim representative.
“This court will recognize Miss Erika Kirk as the designated victim representative in this case,” the judge said. “Thank you.”