Charlie Kirk murder suspect’s lawyers seek 6-month hearing delay
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Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating conservative icon Charlie Kirk, announced who prosecutors plan to call to the stand and also asked the court to postpone the preliminary hearing.
Prosecutors plan to call Robinson’s parents and his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, to testify at the preliminary hearing, the filing by defense attorneys said Friday. Robinson’s defense team is also asking the judge for at least a six-month delay for the preliminary hearing, currently scheduled for May 18.
Robinson’s defense team said defense attorneys received more than 600,000 files from prosecutors during the March 12 meeting and that reviewing them will take time. He also stated that the discovery is not yet complete.
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Tyler Robinson, accused of murdering Charlie Kirk, appeared for a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, December 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)
“Discovery in this case is incomplete, voluminous, and complex to process,” the defense team wrote.
One of the defense experts, a forensic biologist, said he would need six months to review the evidence.
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Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who ran Turning Point USA. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)
The brief filed by Robinson’s defense attorneys does not request a postponement of the next hearing on April 17. This hearing will focus on public and media access to future hearings, including a defense motion to ban all cameras in the courtroom.
Robinson’s defense team plans to present evidence they believe includes “harmful and biased media coverage of this case thus far.”
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Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Desert News via AP)
“While there is insufficient time to present all of those referenced in the ‘motion to exclude cameras,’ the anticipated compilation will highlight the most egregious and concerning media coverage affecting Mr. Robinson’s case,” his attorneys wrote.
At a hearing on Feb. 24, Judge Tony Graf denied a request from Robinson’s attorneys to remove prosecutors from the case.
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Robinson’s defense team tried to argue that there was a conflict of interest because a prosecutor’s daughter was at the event at Utah Valley University when Kirk was shot and killed.
In his response, Graf said the court was “unconvinced” by the defense team’s claim that prosecutors “appeared to be biased.”
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Tyler Robinson, accused of murdering Charlie Kirk, appeared for a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, December 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)
“Because defendant has failed to establish a factual basis giving rise to a constitutional concern for a finding of conflict of interest or an objective appearance of impropriety, his motion is respectfully denied,” Graf said. “In sum, defendant has not shown that there is a significant risk that Mr. Gray’s loyalty to his daughter has materially limited or will limit his representation of the state. Nor has defendant shown that his due process rights have been compromised by the ongoing prosecution of this case by the Utah County District Attorney’s Office.”
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Robinson faced multiple charges, including aggravated murder, after he allegedly killed Kirk on September 10, 2025. His charges are eligible for the death penalty.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz, Stepheny Price, Julia Bonavita and Peter D’Abrosca contributed to the report.
