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The trial of the man accused of killing U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk will begin in June 2028, with jury selection set for June 21, Judge Tony Graf told a Utah district court on Monday. He said the court has reserved 105 days for the trial.
Tyler Robinson, 23, faces a potential death penalty for allegedly killing Kirk with a gunshot to the neck on a university campus in the western U.S. state of Utah on Sept. 10, 2025.
The killing of Kirk at age 31 at an event planned by his right-wing youth organization, Turning Point, sent shockwaves through the U.S. political world. Kirk had become a popular leader in a Christian nationalist movement that preaches traditional values while voicing intolerance for diversity and LGBTQ communities.
Turning Point was key to mobilizing youth support for Donald Trump’s re-election as president in 2024. Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, now leads the group.
The prosecution had sought a trial as early as January 2028, while Robinson’s lawyers had wanted until the end of 2029 to prepare their defense. The judge said setting the trial date for June 2028 was intended to “ensure the constitutional rights” of both parties.
“A trial in the summer of 2028, three years after Charlie’s assassination, does not feel very speedy to the Kirk family,” said Jeffrey Neiman, lawyer for Erika Kirk.
Last month, Trump criticized the judge and said the case “should be tried within a month, not three years.” Kirk’s assassination last year triggered a 33-hour manhunt culminating in Robinson surrendering to authorities. Robinson has pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution has presented text messages in which Robinson confessed to planning the murder to his roommate, a transgender person with whom they allege Robinson was in a relationship.
The defense has focused on alleged weaknesses in the DNA and ballistic evidence.
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