On Tuesday, Judge Tony Graf heard final arguments of the preliminary hearing regarding Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025 at Utah Valley University.
In early July, the prosecution and the defense had five days of proceedings that were broadcast by the media. Yesterday’s final arguments were the culmination of those proceedings, wherein the prosecution sought to establish there was enough evidence, including “reliable hearsay,” to proceed to trial.
Legal experts generally agree that the standard for a judge to allow a case to go to trial is much lower than the bar of evidence necessary to find someone beyond a reasonable doubt as guilty, so the ruling from Graf is not surprising.
NOW – Tyler Robinson pleads not guilty on all 7 charges in the assassination of Charlie Kirk after Judge Tony Graf ruled prosecutors cleared the evidentiary bar to proceed to trial. pic.twitter.com/NVCnVt12LO
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 2, 2026
Robinson, 23, could face the death penalty – but his defense team entered a “not guilty” plea. The most serious charge is aggravated murder, but he also faces six other lesser charges. The aggravated portion of the murder charge is what makes him eligible for the death penalty according to Utah law.
Jeffrey Neiman, the attorney and victim representative for Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, formally asked for a speedy trial on Tuesday, reiterating previous requests.
Neiman previously represented former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta for closed testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee, which was tasked with investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 “sweetheart” deal which Acosta personally negotiated. Epstein was facing federal sex trafficking charges.
A pre-trial hearing has been set for October 23, 2026.
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