Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, will stand trial in July 2028, a judge has ruled.
Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to every charge, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors allege he shot Kirk in the neck during a Turning Point USA event on September 10, 2025.
Utah District Judge Tony Graf Jr. ruled Monday afternoon that the trial will begin on July 31, 2028. Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted.
Jury selection is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. MT on June 21, 2028. A hearing to decide where the proceedings will be held is set for December 22, 2027.
Graf said he weighed the rights of both Robinson and Erika Kirk when setting the timetable.
Erika Kirk, the late conservative activist’s widow, had previously criticized Robinson’s attorneys for seeking to push the trial into 2029.
Prosecutors previously estimated that the trial would last 17 weeks. Although they said they could be ready by October 2027, they proposed beginning in January 2028 to avoid holding court through Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Jeffrey Neiman, Erika Kirk’s attorney, argued that the trial should begin in October 2027. He said an extended delay would violate his client’s right to a speedy trial as a victim under Utah law.
Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, is scheduled to go on trial on July 31, 2028, under a judge’s ruling
Prosecutors say Robinson admitted killing Kirk because he had ‘enough of his hatred’
Robinson surrendered to authorities the day after the shooting. His defense attorneys have not presented an alternative explanation for Kirk’s death.
Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed to the killing, saying he had ‘enough of his hatred.’
In a court filing, Neiman wrote that under the defense’s proposed schedule, Kirk’s two children—who were one and three when their father was killed—would be six and eight by the time the trial ended.
“They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives,” he wrote.
Neiman also said the delay would increase the financial burden on taxpayers, pointing to the $1.6 million already allocated for Robinson’s defense, Fox News previously reported.
Robinson’s attorneys have argued that moving too quickly could undermine the proceedings for both sides.
“It will create unrealistic expectations for the public and the victim’s representative,” they wrote. They warned that a rushed schedule could limit time for constitutionally required work, pressure the court to decide complex pretrial motions prematurely and threaten Robinson’s right to a reliable capital case.
In September, Graf sided with prosecutors, who said they had “a mountain of evidence” indicating that Robinson fatally shot the conservative activist.
The defense had sought to prevent a trial or, at minimum, remove the death penalty from consideration. Attorneys argued that prosecutors had not shown the shooting put other people at risk of death.
Under Utah law, that risk is an aggravating factor that can make a defendant eligible for capital punishment.
Erika Kirk, widow of the late conservative activist and mother of his two children, previously called Robinson’s lawyers’ request for a 2029 trial “absurd”
READ MORE: The Killer Takes Secrets Behind Teen’s Death to Her Grave
Surveillance video captured Robinson at Utah Valley University on the day of the shooting
Kirk’s family described the ruling as “an important step in our family’s pursuit of justice.”
“Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father,” the family said in a statement.
Prosecutors allege that Robinson fired from a rooftop more than 400 feet away, despite knowing that a missed shot could strike someone else at the open-air event.
“Tyler James Robinson shot and killed Charlie Kirk because he disagreed with him, and he did it by firing a high-powered rifle into a crowd of over 3,000 people, which created a great risk of death that anyone would know about,” Ryan McBride, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, said.
Graf could have sent the case forward on a lesser murder charge, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
He said his decision to allow the aggravated murder charge was based in part on the positions of several people in and around the tent where Kirk was speaking.
Robinson showed no visible reaction as the ruling was read. Tears appeared in his mother’s eyes.
Staci Visser, one of Robinson’s attorneys, accused prosecutors of trying to “shoehorn” the case into Utah’s aggravated murder statute.
She said earlier case law required prosecutors to prove there was a high probability—not simply a possibility—that other people could have been killed.
Visser also noted that Kirk was seated alone on an elevated stage when he was struck once in the neck.
Before his death, Kirk and Turning Point USA helped mobilize conservative young voters in support of President Donald Trump’s second-term campaign
President Trump commented on the case and its timeline last month
“There is one shot. There is one bullet. There is one victim,” Visser said. “There is zero evidence that there was any action taken towards other people.”
Prosecutor Chad Grunander countered that the alleged murder weapon, a bolt-action rifle, still contained additional rounds. He said Robinson “came prepared to shoot again.”
The court hearing followed five days of testimony and evidence from prosecutors, including DNA evidence and a handwritten note they say Robinson left for his romantic partner. The note allegedly stated: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.”
Prosecutors said DNA testing connected Robinson to the rifle and to a tool allegedly used to engrave messages onto bullet casings.
One bullet reportedly carried the message, “Hey, fascist! CATCH!” Another read, “If you read this, you are gay.”
They also allege Robinson wrote in a text message about Kirk: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Before his death, Kirk and Turning Point USA played a prominent role in mobilizing conservative young voters who helped President Donald Trump secure a second term.
Trump addressed the case last month, saying: “The judge in the Charlie Kirk case is doing a terrible job! This case should be tried within a month, not three years—and it should be over with!”