Suspect in the murder of Trump supporter Charlie Kirk to stand trial in 2028.
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 10: A judge in Utah, USA, announced on the 9th that Tyler Robinson, the suspect who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is scheduled to appear in court in the summer of 2028.
Kirk is the co-founder of the American non-profit organization "American Turning Point" and one of the most influential "internet celebrities" among the supporters of the American President Trump. Prosecutors accused Robinson of shooting and killing Kirk who was involved in an argument on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10, 2025.
Utah District Judge Tony Graff said on 9/9 that jury selection in the case is scheduled to begin on June 21, 2028, and the trial is expected to last 105 days. He said the timing struck a balance between the defense's right to prepare a defense and the desire of Kirk's wife, Erica Kirk, for the trial to end quickly.
Robinson will be tried on all seven charges, including aggravated murder, which, if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of death.
According to the Associated Press, Robinson's lawyers had proposed setting the trial for 2029 to give him more time to prepare his defense, but Graff faced pressure from Kirk's family and supporters to speed up the trial process. Prosecutors requested a trial date of late January 2028 and expected the trial to last 17 weeks. Kirk's wife previously filed for a trial to begin in 2027, calling the relevant legal process "painful."
Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Graf's handling of the case last month, saying the trial should begin within a month and accusing Graf of asking "questions that people already know the answers to."