A judge has ruled that county prosecutors may continue handling the case against Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating conservative figure Charlie Kirk last September.
During a court hearing on Tuesday morning, Judge Graf denied a motion filed by Robinson’s defense team seeking to remove the county prosecutors from the case. Robinson attended the hearing remotely from jail.
The defense argued that a conflict of interest exists because one of the prosecutors’ children was present at the September 10 event at Utah Valley University where Kirk was killed. They contended this connection could compromise the prosecution’s impartiality.
This issue has been addressed in two prior hearings. On February 3, defense attorney Richard Novak questioned Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray about when the prosecution decided to pursue the death penalty, a decision that was publicly announced shortly after Robinson’s arrest.
The court also heard testimony from a senior prosecutor, referred to only as “Prosecutor A.” The prosecutor outlined how the office internally managed the case and explained the decision to inform the defense that the child had been at the event.
According to the testimony, there was no specific recollection of a conversation with Gray regarding how to proceed due to the child’s presence. However, it was noted that it is standard practice for Gray to consult with senior prosecutors in cases involving the death penalty.