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Tag: Tyler James Robinson

  • Here’s the lowdown on the attorneys assigned to represent Tyler Robinson

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    The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will have an experienced team of lawyers representing him in the high-profile capital murder case.

    Utah County hired three attorneys to represent Tyler James Robinson after 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf found he doesn’t have the financial means to pay a lawyer.

    Salt Lake City attorney Kathryn N. Nester is the lead counsel, while Michael N. Burt and Richard G. Novak, both of California, are co-counsel. All have substantial experience in death penalty cases.

    Robinson allegedly shot Kirk with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop as the conservative political activist 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. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is pursuing the death penalty.

    The county estimates the taxpayer-funded defense and prosecution of Robinson to exceed $1.3 million — $750,000 for the court-appointed lawyers and $600,000 for additional staff in the county attorney’s office.

    Well-qualified attorneys

    The Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure requires lawyers assigned to death penalty cases to meet certain criteria, including extensive experience in felony or capital cases, completing approved death penalty education and having sufficient time and resources to provide a rigorous defense. The rule calls for the court to appoint at least two attorneys in capital cases.

    Nester, Burt and Novak appear to possess those credentials, according to declarations filed in court this week.

    Nester has done criminal defense work for 33 years, appearing as lead or co-counsel in nine aggravated, felony and capital murder cases in state and federal court in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, California and Utah. Two of them proceeded to a verdict.

    Burt has practiced law for 47 years, including as head trial attorney with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office for 24 years. He has specialized in capital cases the past 18 years and is the editor-in-chief of the California Death Penalty Defense Manual.

    According to his court declaration, he has tried over 50 cases before a jury, including eight lengthy capital cases in state or federal courts in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. He has been appointed “learned counsel” in 27 federal death penalty cases throughout the country, meaning he is an expert in that area of the law.

    Novak, according to his declaration, has practiced law since 1990, with an emphasis on criminal defense work, including capital defense for the last 20 years. He has been lead or co-counsel in over 25 death-eligible homicide cases in federal courts in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada and California, and in state court in California. He worked as a federal public defender before going into private practice.

    Nester’s office declined to comment about the case.

    Robinson’s next court hearing

    Robinson is held in the Utah County Jail without bail. A hand-written notation in a Sept. 24 court filing restricting his possession of firearms reads “high risk/suicide watch.”

    He made his initial court appearance via video conference from the jail last week wearing a suicide-prevention smock, which court officials said is standard for high-profile prisoners.

    Robinson is entitled to a preliminary hearing under Utah law, where the judge decides if the prosecution has enough evidence for a trial. An arraignment then follows in which the defendant enters either a guilty or not guilty plea to the charges.

    He is due in court Sept. 29 for a waiving hearing in which he can decide whether to give up his right to a preliminary hearing to move more quickly to the arraignment. Initially scheduled as a virtual hearing, Graf this week changed it to an in-person hearing.

    Death penalty cases in Utah

    Aggravated murder is the only offense subject to the death penalty in Utah. The law contains a list of circumstances under which prosecutors could charge a person with that offense including, “the murderer knowingly created a great risk of death to a person other than the victim and the murderer,” which what prosecutors cited in the Robinson case.

    In addition to the that case, the Utah County attorney is prosecuting one of the other two active death penalty cases in Utah.

    Michael Aaron Jayne, 42, of Garrett, Indiana, is accused of intentionally hitting and killing Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser with his semitrailer on I-15, after being pulled over for a stop sign violation last year. Jayne is charged with aggravated murder and several other felonies.

    Just last month, Ryan Michael Bate, 30, allegedly shot and killed Tremonton Police Sgt. Lee Sorensen and officer Eric Estrada when they responded to a domestic dispute at his home.

    The Box Elder County Attorney’s Office filed two counts of aggravated murder against Bate, among other felony crimes.

    There are currently four men on death row in Utah. The average length of stay on death row is about 34 years. Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in Utah but firing squad is an alternative method. Executions are carried out at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City.

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  • What to know about the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination

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    Authorities are still trying to learn more about what motivated the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college in Utah, as the conservative activist’s family plans a memorial next week to his life and legacy.

    Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder and other felony offenses. Prosecutors are drawing up formal charges that could be filed early next week, when he will make his first court appearance.

    Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and carried out a search warrant at his family’s home in Washington, about 240 miles (390 kilometers) southwest of Utah Valley University, where the shooting took place.

    Here are things to know about the killing:

    What do we know about motive?

    Authorities have not provided many details about why they think Robinson carried out the attack on Kirk.

    Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said family members told authorities that Robinson “had become more political in recent years.” They recounted to authorities a dinner table conversation in which he mentioned Kirk’s upcoming visit to Utah Valley University and they discussed whether the activist was spreading hate.

    State records show Robinson is registered to vote but not affiliated with a political party and is listed as inactive, meaning he did not vote in the two most recent general elections. His parents are registered Republicans.

    Ammunition found with the weapon used to kill Kirk was engraved with taunting, anti-fascist and meme-culture messages. One bullet casing had the message, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” Cox said.

    What do we know about Robinson?

    He grew up around St. George, in the southwestern corner of Utah between Las Vegas and natural landmarks including Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.

    Robinson became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, at a young age, church spokesperson Doug Andersen said.

    Robinson has two younger brothers, and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts. Online activity by Robinson’s mother reflects an active family that took vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Alaska.

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    Like many in that part of Utah, they frequently spent time outdoors – boating, fishing, riding ATVs, zip-lining and target shooting. A 2017 post shows the family visiting a military facility and posing with assault rifles. A young Robinson is seen smiling as he grips the handles of a .50-caliber heavy machine gun.

    A high school honor roll student who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, he was admitted to Utah State University in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter that was posted to a family member’s social media account.

    But he attended for only one semester, according to a university spokesperson. He is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.

    What has the fallout from the assassination been?

    It prompted calls for greater civility in the country’s political discourse, especially on social media. But many people have made comments about the Kirk and the shooting that brought consequences, including firings.

    MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd lost his job shortly after on-air comments about Kirk, one of the first of many figures to experience similar fallout.

    Office Depot said Friday that it fired a worker at a Michigan store who was seen on video refusing to print flyers for a Kirk vigil and calling them “propaganda.”

    Several Delta Air Lines employees were also suspended after social media posts that “went well beyond healthy, respectful debate,” CEO Ed Bastian said in a message to the company.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education commissioner warned teachers in the state that making “disgusting” statements about Kirk’s assassination could draw sanctions, including the suspension or revocation of their teaching licenses.

    A conservative internet personality who is embedded with immigration agents in Chicago filmed a video outside Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s private home in which he urged viewers to “take action” after Kirk’s assassination. Pritzker’s office said his security has been increased in recent days.

    Memorial to be held in Arizona

    Turning Point USA, Kirk’s conservative organization, will hold a memorial for him Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium outside Phoenix, where the Arizona Cardinals play.

    Kirk’s casket arrived Thursday in his home state aboard Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance.

    His widow, Erika Kirk, vowed to continue his campus tour and his radio and podcast shows.

    “To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” she said Friday in a livestreamed video. “It won’t. I refuse to let that happen.”

    Flowers, U.S. flags and handwritten messages were left at a makeshift memorial for Kirk at Utah Valley University’s main entrance. The school has said there will be increased security when classes resume Sept. 17.

    Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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