November 10, 2026
The case of the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk entered a new judicial phase more than a year after the crime, after the Utah District Court announced the start of the trial of the accused, Tyler James Robinson, in June 2028, amid efforts by the Public Prosecution to impose the death penalty against him if he is convicted.
According to a report published by the Israeli website “Maariv”, citing news agencies, on Tuesday, Judge Tony Graf on Monday set the date for the start of the trial in June 2028, to last about five months, allocating 105 days for hearings and arguments. This decision came as a compromise between the demands of the defense, which sought to postpone until 2029 and allocate seven months for the procedures, and the demands of the prosecution, which insisted on an earlier date, not exceeding four months.
The accused, Tyler James Robinson, who is currently 23 years old, faces seven criminal charges, including murder under aggravated circumstances, in connection with Kirk’s assassination on September 10, 2025. Although Robinson pleaded not guilty, he had surrendered himself to the police the day after the incident after sending a message to his friends saying: “I was the one who did this yesterday at Utah Valley University. I am sorry for everything that happened.”
Last September, Judge Graf ruled that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the proceedings, with Robinson remaining in custody awaiting trial. The next judicial hearing is scheduled to be held on January 14, preceded by a series of preliminary legal motions to rule on evidence and testimony, as well as discussion of sensitive issues including Utah’s death penalty laws, DNA testing methods, and fair trial guarantees within the county.
Meanwhile, Kirk’s family has expressed dissatisfaction with the timeline, saying it conflicts with their right to speedy justice. During the session, the family’s lawyer, Jeffrey Naiman, stressed adherence to the specified deadlines and not delaying them further, noting that the Utah State Constitution gives crime victims the right to quickly end the proceedings, stressing that “holding the trial in the summer of 2028 does not seem particularly quick for the Kirk family.”
The roots of the case go back to September 10, 2025, when Charlie Kirk was shot while giving a speech to a large crowd at Utah Valley University, as part of a college tour organized by the conservative youth movement he co-founded, which subsequently led to his death in an incident that sparked widespread local attention. Between the death penalty demands, and the family’s objection to the long waiting period, the case is heading towards a long trial that will not begin before June 2028, that is, about two years and six months after the crime occurred.
