Last month I pointed out that it didn't appear likely Tyler Robinson's trial for the murder of Charlie Kirk would begin in 2027. That wasn't a guess, it was based on the briefs that both sides had submitted to Judge Tony Graf outlining when they could be ready to begin.
Utah prosecutors said they could be ready in a year but suggested that starting a four-month trial just before the holidays might be a bad idea. They proposed a date of January 31, 2028.
The defense team, always eager to delay things as much as humanly possible, said it needed until mid-2029:
Robinson's attorneys say they must review all aggravating and mitigating evidence. And because it is anticipated that there is still evidence being processed that neither side has received yet, it's impossible to set a firm trial date now...
In addition, seating a jury in this case "will require extraordinary efforts," the defense contends. "The high-profile nature of Mr. Robinson's case presents extra challenges and it is particularly relevant in all stages of the jury selection process."
The defense team does not anticipate sending out jury questionnaires until the second quarter of 2029.
Judge Graf took his own sweet time making a decision about the start date, but today he finally issued one. He's giving the defense 19 more months to get their act together in what is an open and shut case.
The man accused of murdering the conservative activist Charlie Kirk will go on trial in June 2028, a Utah judge said on Monday.
Prosecutors have charged the man, Tyler Robinson, 23, with aggravated murder and are seeking the death penalty.
Judge Tony Graf issued his scheduling order from the bench on Monday in a courtroom in Provo, Utah. He said that the trial would start with jury selection on June 21, 2028, and that he would reserve five months — or 105 “court days” — for the proceeding, taking it into mid-November. He cautioned that there could be changes to the schedule, depending on the lawyers’ preparations.
This has already been an absurdly long process as the defense has tried every trick they can think of to delay the trial. It has already been 14 months since Charlie Kirk was shot and we're just now getting a court date that is more than 19 months away. The trial won't be over for two full years.
Lawyers for Erika Kirk, Mr. Kirk’s widow, had asked the judge to set the trial for that earlier date in October 2027, noting that her two children, who were 1 and 3 when their father was assassinated, would be 6 and 8 by the time the trial is over.
Jeffrey Neiman, a lawyer for the Kirk family, said during Monday’s hearing that the trial date set by Judge Graf “does not feel very speedy” to the family. He asked that the judge not allow for any delay to the trial date “unless something truly significant” came up.
This isn't the end of the story either. There are still more hearings where the defense can try to delay this into 2029.
The parties will also appear at a hearing in April 2028 to determine if the trial can indeed begin that June.
Here's my prediction, long in advance of that hearing. The defense will not be ready and will request another six months before the trial can begin.
All of this is seeking to put off the inevitable. Robinson will be convicted and will get the death penalty. The evidence against him is overwhelming including more than a dozen confessions in writing and in person plus a mountain of physical evidence connecting him to the gun, the bullets, etc. He's toast and everyone knows it. But I guess the defense attorneys are thinking about book contracts. They've hit the jackpot winding up on this loser's case.