- A lightly redacted transcript from the closed Oct. 24 hearing in the Charlie Kirk murder case was made public, revealing new details about court decisions, media restrictions and the defense’s arguments.
- Defense attorneys said they are considering a motion to disqualify the Utah County Attorney’s Office over a potential conflict of interest involving a prosecutor’s family member who witnessed the shooting.
- Prosecutors and defense attorneys acknowledged extensive evidence still under review, with forensic testing ongoing and a preliminary hearing likely to span several days, potentially scheduled for mid-May.
A transcript from a closed hearing in the Charlie Kirk murder case was made public on Monday afternoon.
The lightly redacted transcript from the Oct. 24 hearing revealed new details about the case, including about the court’s decision to allow Robinson to wear civilian clothing and whether the defense has a potential conflict of interest.
Tyler Robinson, who has been formally charged with aggravated murder, five other felonies and a Class A misdemeanor, attended a hearing in Provo, Utah, on Monday in person, along with his defense attorneys, prosecutors and 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf.
As the hearing on Oct. 24 began, a defense attorney, Richard Novak, asked Graf for permission to unshackle one of Robinson’s hands so he could take notes. Graf granted the request.
The court debates media restrictions
The transcript shows the prosecution and defense attorneys debated how to balance ensuring a fair trial with the practical realities of the internet.
Novak argued that widely circulated photos of Robinson in jail clothing would taint the jury pool, and if the court prohibited cameras, it would alleviate those concerns.
“The idea of prohibiting cameras and video in the courtroom is very easy for this court to enforce,” Novak said. “But to somehow believe that this court can effectively prohibit everybody — every blogger in the world — from commenting on what Mr. Robinson is wearing in court is totally unenforceable ... our effort to keep track of who is saying what about our client is already, you know, an insane project."
Since the day Robinson allegedly shot Kirk from the roof of Utah Valley University’s Losee Center in September, the 22-year-old has been the subject of many podcasts, news stories, X posts and more. Since Sept. 10, his name has appeared on Google more than 800,000 times.
The hearing included new details on Robinson’s surrender to authorities
In advocating for Robinson to be unshackled during court appearances, Novak argued that his client is not a security threat, given that he turned himself in.
“What we do know about Mr. Robinson that goes to the court’s question is he surrendered,” Novak said, according to the transcript. “A neighbor of his was a retired sheriff from Washington County, and he got into that man’s car, and they took him to the sheriff’s department with his parents in the vehicle with him.”
He continued, “That, if you were just doing sort of a run-of-the-mill bail assessment, would be a factor in support of release.”
Defense discusses a potential conflict of interest
Though the defense has not filed such a motion, Novak said in the October hearing that his team had discussed a potential motion to disqualify a Utah County attorney from representing the state in the prosecution, because of a possible conflict of interest.
“The Utah County Attorneys have advised us that a family member of one of the attorneys was present at the incident at which Mr. Kirk was shot and killed,” Novak said.
The defense attorney continued, “This child — I don’t know if they’re an adult, but I’m not referring to them as a minor — this child was present, observed it, was within 85 feet of Mr. Kirk when he was killed; had to flee; that law enforcement were actually deployed to the area with her safety and status in mind," he said.
State prosecutors did not directly respond to the allegation, according to the transcript.
Attorneys discuss the discovery process so far
The prosecution and defense attorneys affirmed they have massive amounts of material related to Robinson’s trial to go through, and as of Oct. 24, the prosecution was still doing forensic testing on evidence related to the case.
Some of the material has already been seen by the public, including several photos from security cameras on UVU campus used during the manhunt for Kirk’s killer. Its early release proved useful, as Robinson’s mother allegedly recognized her son in the photos, and convinced him to turn himself in on Sept. 11, the day after the shooting.
Robinson lived in St. George, Utah, about 15 minutes away from his parents, and roughly four hours south of Utah Valley University.
In the hearing, prosecutor Chad Grunander referenced the large quantity of footage his team needs to review. “This case involves a lot of surveillance (footage) from UVU. And we’re starting with September 10th being the most probative, most important day, and then working backward from that. So we’re trying to prioritize our efforts as well. So I think we’re making progress there. And I think we’re going to iron out a few kinks, and the progress will be expedited as we move forward,” he said.
When Graf asked when the prosecution would be ready to schedule a preliminary hearing, Grunander said, “In my experience, I’ve done preliminary hearings that last 10 minutes to five days. This will be probably more complex than a typical homicide case, but I would ask the court for at least five days.”
Robinson is expected to appear in person for all future hearings, beginning on Jan. 16. All hearings are slated to take place in Utah’s 4th District Court in Provo.
- Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. MST. Robinson is expected to attend in person.
- Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. MST. Robinson is expected to attend in person.
- Potential preliminary hearing scheduled for May 18 to 21.