After a closed-door meeting Wednesday, the Utah County Commission announced the selection of legal counsel for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk.
In open session, the three-member panel unanimously approved an “agreement for indigent defense services” with longtime Utah trial lawyer Kathryn Nester to represent Robinson. The commission then adjourned the meeting without discussion.
“This action fulfills the commission’s constitutional responsibility to ensure that individuals accused of a crime — who cannot afford legal representation — are provided with a qualified defense," according to a county press release.
Nester will be the lead attorney and Richard Novak and Michael Burt work as co-counsel in the case, according to the agreement.
Nester, of the Salt Lake City law firm Nester Lewis, has practiced in state and federal court for more than 30 years, according to her bio. Her more than 60 jury trials have included a wide variety of cases, including capital murder. She has headed the federal defender’s offices in Salt Lake City and San Diego for a decade.
Last week, 4th District Judge Tony Graf found Robinson does’t have the financial means to hire a lawyer.
Utah County estimates the cost for the defense and prosecution of Robinson to exceed $1.3 million.
The county is planning for the taxpayer-funded defense to cost at least $750,000. It also added staff to the county attorney’s office to help with the case, adding another $600,000, said Rich Piatt, Utah County spokesperson.
Piatt said the county can absorb the costs this year but that the case could impact spending for county departments in next year’s budget.
Robinson allegedly shot and killed Kirk with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop as Kirk spoke at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. At the urging of his parents and a family friend, Robinson turned himself in to police near his home in Washington County, Utah, the next day. Authorities announced the arrest in a press conference Sept. 12.
Robinson, 22, is charged with aggravated murder and six other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Kirk. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is pursuing the death penalty.
Robinson appeared in court in Provo last Tuesday via video conference from the Utah County Jail where he is being held without bail. He showed no emotion as Graf read the charges against him. The judge appointed the public defender’s office to represent Robinson, but didn’t assign a specific attorney to the case at that time.
Longtime Utah defense attorney Greg Skordas, who co-hosts “Inside Sources” on KSL NewsRadio, appeared on behalf of Utah County at Robinson’s initial court hearing.
Skordas advises the county commission in its contract negotiations with the Utah County Public Defender Association because the county attorney’s office, which normally serves as the commission’s counsel, doesn’t want to be part of the budgeting process with its courtroom adversaries. Judges appoint public defenders to represent people accused of crimes prosecuted by the county attorney’s office. Typically those defendants don’t have the means to hire a lawyer.
Death penalty cases are not part of the county’s contract with the public defenders’ office because they’re expensive, costing at least $500,000 per case, Skordas said.
The country relied on advice from Skordas in making the decision to hire Nester.
The next hearing in the case is set for Sept. 29. Initially scheduled as a virtual hearing, Graf this week changed it to an in-person hearing.