Follow-Up: Trial in Charlie Kirk Assassination Case Set for Summer 2028, Jury Selection to Begin June 21, 2028
Provo, Utah — Tony Graf, the Utah Fourth District judge overseeing the Charlie Kirk assassination case, ruled on November 9 that Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting Kirk, will stand trial in the summer of 2028, with jury selection set to begin on June 21, 2028. Graf set aside 105 trial days, ordered a pool of as many as 3,600 prospective jurors to complete an extensive questionnaire, and scheduled monthly pretrial status conferences.
The date is a compromise among three competing proposals. Prosecutors said they could be ready as early as October 4, 2027, but recommended a January 31, 2028 start to avoid winter and holiday interruptions to a trial they expect to last about 17 weeks. The defense, citing the volume of evidence, its challenge to the death penalty and a possible change-of-venue request, had asked for the third quarter of 2029 and expects the trial to run six to seven months. Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, had filed a request for a start no later than 2027 to speed what she called a painful legal process; after the ruling she posted on X that the timeline was "deeply disappointing."
Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, committing a violent offense in the presence of a child, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. The judge previously found at a preliminary hearing that prosecutors had presented sufficient probable cause.
Kirk, a co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, before a crowd of thousands that included children. Under the new schedule, the trial will begin nearly three years after the shooting.
Related: Robinson murder-case hearing: judge defers decision as defense seeks 2029 trial
Related: Judge in Kirk case rules death penalty remains available if aggravated murder is proven
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：犹他州普罗沃第四司法区法院大楼，本案审理法院（资料图）。照片：Farragutful 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本站档案图复用。 / Photo: The Fourth Judicial District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, where the case is being heard (file photo). Photo by Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. GSM archive image reused.
- 2026-10-23Judge Puts Off Decision on Trial Date in Robinson Murder Case; Defense Seeks 2029 Trial
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- 2026-11-09Follow-Up: Trial in Charlie Kirk Assassination Case Set for Summer 2028, Jury Selection to Begin June 21, 2028This story
