In her first media interview since the assassination of her husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk sat down with Fox News’ Jesse Watters. During the interview she said she wants the Utah judge overseeing the alleged assassin’s case to reject a motion to remove news cameras from the courtroom.
“There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered,” she said.
On Sept. 10, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in the beginning moments of his “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University, with an estimated 3,000 people in attendance. Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from the St. George area, has been arrested and charged in the shooting.
“There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning. There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear. We deserve to have cameras in there,” Kirk added.
The full interview with Kirk will be broadcast on Wednesday, but the outlet shared parts of it ahead of the full release.
Does Utah law allow cameras in courtrooms?
Utah law allows media to broadcast public courtroom proceedings, but only with the presiding judge’s approval.
“The judge may prohibit or restrict electronic media coverage in those cases only if the judge finds that the reasons for doing so are sufficiently compelling to outweigh the presumption,” per Utah code.
Robinson’s legal team requested in a motion last month that cameras be limited from the courtroom.
“The court should limit media coverage, or video and photographic coverage, at the least, so defendant’s physical appearance is no longer the subject of interest and he has some chance of securing a fair and impartial jury,” the motion obtained by the Deseret News said. The lawyers also requested that Robinson appear in court in civilian clothing, unrestrained.
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf approved the defense team request for civilian clothing but denied the request for Robinson to appear without restraints. The judge also imposed a media restriction, prohibiting the recording of Robinson’s restraints or his entry and exit from the courtroom.
Defense attorney Greg Skordas, who co-hosts “Inside Sources” on KSL NewsRadio, told the Deseret News it’s “almost certainly true” that although this case has not followed the routine, “the chances of livestreaming are about 10%, and even then, just the trial itself.” The preliminary hearings have even slimmer chances.
Erika Kirk isn’t the only voice demanding full coverage. In a letter to the judge, Human Events Media Group requested that the proceedings be streamed to the public and press.
“Kirk did not get to decide whether or not his murder would be livestreamed,” the media group said in a publication, “only his assassin had a say in that. Kirk’s life was public, his execution was public, and the trial of the suspect in his murder should be open to the public as well.”
The high-profile nature of the case has kept security tight, as Robinson has only appeared virtually before the court, though he is expected to be in person at his next hearing, scheduled for Jan. 16, 2026.