Man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk to go on trial in 2028

PROVO, Utah — The man accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk will go on trial in June 2028, a Utah judge said 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 Monday in a courtroom in Provo, Utah. He said the trial would start with jury selection 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.

Robinson’s lawyers had suggested the trial begin in late 2029, saying they needed at least two years to prepare their case and review what they said were tens of thousands of files that were turned over by prosecutors. Prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney’s Office had asked for a roughly four-month trial to begin in January 2028. But they also said they thought they could be ready several months earlier if needed.

Lawyers for Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, 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 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.

Graf said questionnaires would eventually be sent out to a pool of 3,600 potential jurors to begin the process of assembling a jury to hear the case. He set a status hearing for Jan. 14 to discuss various motions and other issues in the case.

Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking to thousands of people at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31.

Prosecutors have said there is a mountain of evidence against Robinson. During a July hearing, they presented text messages in which Robinson confessed to his roommate and lover, Lance Twiggs, that he had killed Kirk and that he had “had enough of his hatred.”

Investigators have suggested that Robinson was motivated by Kirk’s opposition to gay marriage and gender transitioning. Twiggs had for a time been going by “Luna” and identifying as trans, prosecutors have said.

Robinson has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have questioned the DNA and ballistic evidence tying Robinson to the killing but have yet to present a concrete defense.