PROVO, Utah — One of the biggest vulnerabilities in the case against Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin, Tyler Robinson, could be the prosecution’s timeline, according to a prominent Utah defense attorney — and she expects the defense to drag discovery in the case on for up to a year before he finally gets a preliminary hearing.

Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was shot and killed around 12:20 p.m. on Sept. 10 while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was a founder of the conservative student group, which had a national footprint and is credited for a resurgence of youth support for the Republican Party.

“There’s just so much we don’t know yet as this case develops,” said Skye Lazaro, of the Salt Lake City firm, Ray Quinney & Nebeker.

The defense doesn’t know much yet, either. The discovery process began Monday with a five-day deadline for prosecutors to make their initial disclosures, and Robinson’s team already pushed his waiver hearing back by a month.

A split showing four photographs of the person of interest in Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. (Utah Public Safety)

The Justice Department has not yet announced federal charges, but they remain a possibility.

Nester asked the court for more time to decide whether Robinson will force a preliminary hearing, an evidentiary hearing in which the prosecution is required to show probable cause in court before the case can move forward.

While there’s no expectation that Robinson’s defense would have the case tossed at such a hearing, it could still give the defense a chance to find better footing before trial — such as a chance to cross-examine witnesses before trial and see how well they perform under intense questioning.

“It’s probable cause, it’s in a light most favorable to the state,” Lazaro said.

In Utah, preliminary hearings can be delayed for months in cases involving serious felonies, sometimes up to a year, according to Lazaro. Robinson faces a top charge of aggravated murder, which carries the death penalty, making it as serious as it gets.

His next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 in Provo, but Lazaro said she expects his defense to ask for more time once again.