Utah judge sends Charlie Kirk murder case to trial

The murder case against the Utah man accused of killing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk last year is headed for trial and the defendant could face the death penalty if he is convicted.

Utah District Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday sided with prosecutors who said they had “a mountain of evidence” that defendant Tyler Robinson fatally shot Kirk as he spoke to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University in September last year.

Robinson pleaded not guilty to all counts, including aggravated murder, following Graf’s decision.

Lawyers for the 23-year-old defendant have not offered alternative theories for Kirk’s death.

The defense team tried to block a trial or at least take the death penalty off the table, arguing prosecutors failed to show that Kirk’s shooting placed others around him at risk of death.

That is an aggravating factor under state law that makes Robinson eligible for capital punishment.

Kirk’s family called the ruling “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 said Robinson shot Kirk from a rooftop more than 122m away, knowing he could have missed and killed others 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,” said Ryan McBride, a prosecutor with the Utah County Attorney’s Office.

Graf had the option to send the case to trial on a lesser charge of murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.

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