Judge Tony Graf on Friday rejected a request from Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin to ban cameras in the courtroom during the duration of the trial.
The judge also pushed Kirk’s assassin Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing to July 6.
Fox News reported:
Judge Tony Graf Jr. pushed accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing into July and rejected a bid to ban cameras from the courtroom, marking significant pretrial developments in the high-profile case.
Graf moved the preliminary hearing to July 6 through July 10, and denied Robinson’s motion to ban cameras and electronic media from the courtroom, allowing continued media coverage as the case moves forward.
The defense had argued that extensive pretrial publicity could prejudice jurors, citing survey data showing 99% of respondents in Utah County were aware of the case and 64% believed Robinson was guilty based on media coverage. However, the court found that argument insufficient to justify a categorical ban, noting that only about 25% of the public had watched live court proceedings, with most exposure coming from secondary commentary rather than raw courtroom footage.
Former assistant U.S. attorney and criminal defense attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital he thinks these motions are part of the defense team’s long game, aimed at creating issues that could be raised during appeal.
Robinson fatally shot TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025 during an event at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson allegedly used a Mauser 98 .30-06 rifle to kill Charlie Kirk.
Robinson was charged with:
– Count 1: Aggravated murder (capital offense)
– Count 2: Felony reckless discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury
– Count 3: Felony obstruction of justice for hiding the firearm
– Count 4: Felony obstruction of justice for discarding the clothing he wore during the shooting
– Count 5: Witness tampering for asking roommate to delete incriminating messages
– Count 6: Witness tampering for demanding trans roommate stay silent, and not speak to police
– Count 7: Commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child
Utah prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Last month it was reported that newly-released search warrants revealed Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson’s damning handwritten note to his transgender lover, Lance Twiggs.
The newly-unsealed affidavit revealed that Tyler Robinson wrote a handwritten letter to his live-in lover Lance Twiggs, AKA, “Luna” in which he admits to a plot to kill Charlie Kirk.
“I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it,” Robinson wrote.
Investigators also recovered DNA, a palm print on the roof of the Losee Center building.
According to a new report, a bullet fragment recovered from Charlie Kirk’s body was identified as a .30 caliber that matched the rifle used by Tyler Robinson.
