Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson tries to boot prosecutors from case

Defense attorneys for the antheral accused of sidesplitting blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk are asking a Utah justice to region the full Utah County Attorney’s Office from the case, arguing prosecutors are compromised by a superior struggle of involvement tied straight to the deadly shooting.

In a tribunal filing obtained by Fox News Digital, attorneys for Tyler James Robinson allege that elder members of the prosecutor’s bureau had "personal and familial connections to the transgression scene," failed to measurement speech and allowed emotion to power the determination to question the decease penalty.

Robinson is charged with aggravated execution successful the Sept. 10, 2025, shooting that killed Kirk during a Turning Point USA lawsuit astatine Utah Valley University successful Orem, wherever an estimated 3,000 radical were gathered.

According to the motion, a apical supervisory authoritative successful the Utah County Attorney’s Office had a adjacent household subordinate successful attendance astatine the lawsuit erstwhile the shooting occurred. That household subordinate was astir 85 feet from Kirk erstwhile helium was changeable and fled the country successful panic, leaving down a backpack aboriginal photographed astatine the transgression scene, defence attorneys say.

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The country aft a changeable was fired astatine an quality by Charlie Kirk astatine Utah Valley University connected Sept. 10, 2025, successful Orem, Utah. Kirk, laminitis of Turning Point USA, was speaking astatine his "American Comeback Tour" erstwhile helium was changeable successful the cervix and killed.   (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

The filing alleges the authoritative received real-time substance messages from the household subordinate describing the chaos and reporting that Kirk had been changeable successful the neck. Those messages, the defence claims, were instantly shared with County Attorney Jeffrey Gray and different members of the prosecution squad earlier immoderate struggle reappraisal oregon ethical screening was enactment successful place.

Despite that idiosyncratic connection, the authoritative allegedly remained actively progressive successful the case, retained supervisory authorization implicit the prosecution team, and discussed the substance internally, raising concerns that prosecutorial discretion whitethorn person been influenced by idiosyncratic fear, trauma oregon bias.

Defense attorneys reason nary recusal occurred and nary ethical firewall was established to isolate the conflict, steps courts typically necessitate to support a defendant’s close to a just and impartial prosecution. They contend that adjacent the quality of bias is constitutionally problematic, peculiarly successful a lawsuit wherever the State is seeking the eventual punishment.

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Tyler Robinson, accused of the execution of Charlie Kirk, appears during a proceeding successful Fourth District Court successful Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

The filing besides questions the timing of the prosecution’s determination to prosecute the decease penalty. Utah instrumentality allows prosecutors up to 60 days aft arraignment to record a announcement of intent, but successful Robinson’s case, the announcement was filed instantly alongside the charging documents. 

The defence argues the unusually accelerated determination came conscionable days aft prosecutors learned of their colleague’s household member’s traumatic acquisition astatine the shooting, raising concerns that emotion, alternatively than detached ineligible judgment, played a relation successful the decision.

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Charlie Kirk speaks astatine Utah Valley University connected Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

To underscore the strength surrounding the case, the question includes graphic eyewitness accounts describing Kirk being struck successful the neck, humor pouring from his coiled and crowds dropping to the crushed successful terror. Several witnesses described believing a wide shooting was underway, praying connected the crushed and scrambling for information arsenic chaos erupted crossed campus.

Defense attorneys reason that portion the trauma of the lawsuit is undeniable, it makes prosecutorial neutrality adjacent much essential, not less.

A justice is scheduled to perceive arguments connected the question connected Jan. 16, 2026. If the tribunal grants the request, the full Utah County Attorney’s Office could beryllium removed from the case, forcing the assignment of a peculiar authoritative and perchance delaying proceedings proceedings, including the state’s pursuit of the decease penalty.

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The Utah County Attorney’s Office pushed backmost connected the defence allegations successful a connection to Fox News Digital, saying it volition formally reason the question successful court.

"We reason the question and volition record our effect connected January 5th," the bureau said.

Prosecutors said the defence has failed to place immoderate morganatic ground for disqualification, arguing that the idiosyncratic referenced successful the motion, contempt being contiguous astatine the event, had nary meaningful power connected the case.

"Despite being contiguous astatine the event, the idiosyncratic identified successful the question knew little astir the details of the shooting than non-attendees who were pursuing quality reports and societal media posts," the connection said. "The Utah County Attorney based his charging decisions solely connected the circumstances of the alleged crimes, without respect for the individuality of immoderate circumstantial attendee."

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].