In a significant decision, a judge has ruled that both the transcript and the audio recording from a confidential hearing involving Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk, can be made public in redacted form. This decision comes as Robinson’s high-profile capital case unfolds in Provo, Utah.
Judge Tony Graf Jr. from the Fourth District Court indicated that 246 words would be redacted from the 80-page transcript. While the transcript was released on Monday, Graf noted that the process of redacting the audio recording would take an additional two weeks.
The unsealed transcript reveals that during the October 24 hearing, Robinson’s defense attorneys requested that he be allowed to keep one hand free from shackles to enable him to take notes during the proceedings.
After consulting with court security, Judge Graf permitted the hearing to continue. However, certain parts of the dialogue remain redacted, including a fully blacked-out statement from a bailiff, leaving the specific security concerns addressed in the private session unclear.
Tyler Robinson, charged with the murder of Charlie Kirk, attended a hearing in the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, December 11, 2025. (Photo credit: Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)
The transcript further indicates that Robinson, at the start of the hearing, responded briefly to a question from the judge and remained silent for the rest of the session. During this time, discussions focused on courtroom security, media access, and future motions. Judge Graf emphasized a cautious approach, expressing a preference for thorough deliberation over hasty decisions that could lead to potential oversights.
During arguments over whether Robinson should appear shackled in court, Graf emphasized that security decisions ultimately rest with the court, not jail officials.
“This is not a jail. This is your honor’s courtroom,” Graf said, adding that “what security measures are necessary to ensure everybody’s safety, including Mr. Robinson’s, are your honor’s decisions, not the sheriff’s decisions.”
Graf also pushed back on arguments tying heightened security to the intense public attention surrounding the case. Referencing claims about unstable individuals and online conspiracy theories, he dismissed much of that concern as external noise.
“We’re all aware of that… I’ve received some wacky phone calls and e-mails, people telling me what they think happened here. It’s noise,” Graf said, stressing that those factors should not dictate how the case is handled inside the courtroom.
4th District Court Judge Tony Graf reads the charging documents as Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appeared by camera on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, for his initial appearance in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/Pool via Deseret News)
At another point, Graf underscored the broader stakes of the proceedings, acknowledging that Robinson’s prosecution stands apart from routine cases. “This case is unique. Whether we like it or not, this case is unique,” he said.
Robinson, 22, is accused of firing a single shot from a rooftop overlooking a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, striking the 31-year-old conservative speaker in the neck as he fielded questions from people in the audience in a courtyard at the heart of campus.
Robinson was not seen in court on Monday and spoke only in response to a question from the judge at the start of the hearing.
Graf addressed two issues — whether transcripts from the sealed hearing earlier this year should be made public and the extent of access the media and public should have to the case going forward.
A group of local and national media outlets, including Fox News, have filed a motion for limited intervention. Lawyers for the group asked Graf for formal recognition from the court, advance notice of attempts to seal future hearings or otherwise limit access to the courtroom, including by banning cameras, and to give the media time to oppose such restrictions.
Read the Oct. 24 transcript here:
He denied the motion, however, cited a prior order telling lawyers for both sides they must notify the media before attempting to have future hearings behind closed doors. The parties are not required to notify the media before potential future attempts to limit cameras or other electronic coverage of the courtroom.
Robinson has made only one in-person court appearance since the September slaying, and some of the case has unfolded behind closed doors, prompting the media group to demand greater transparency and the chance to oppose future secretive proceedings.
Judge Tony Graf presides over a hearing for the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Tyler Robinson, in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)
Robinson’s defense had asked Graf to kick cameras out of the courtroom, but the judge ruled that an outright ban on cameras would be a “disproportionate” response to the defendant’s concerns and issued limitations on what can and can’t be shown.
Earlier this month, he promised to “be narrow” when weighing what parts of the sealed hearing should remain that way.
“[I would] rather do it right and take more time than to be rash and miss the mark,” he said.
Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA to bring conservative voices to college campuses, died from a catastrophic gunshot wound as Robinson allegedly fled into a nearby neighborhood, ditching the suspected murder weapon, a Mauser .30-06 rifle, along the way.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event in Utah on Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters)
The victim was a married father of two.
The suspected killer returned home to southern Utah, about a four-hour drive, and allegedly confessed to his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, and to his parents before turning himself in to Washington County deputies.
Twiggs is cooperating with investigators and has not been charged with a crime. Authorities also credited the parents with helping convince Robinson to surrender.
Charlie Kirk’s final book is a “manifesto against the machine of modern life,” encouraging his followers to “stop in the name of God” and honor the Sabbath. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The accused assassin is due back in court on Jan. 16 in person for a longer hearing. Among the issues to be heard then is a motion from the defense demanding that one of the prosecutors who had a relative present when Kirk was killed to be recused from the case.
Robinson faces seven charges, including aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction and witness tampering.
He has not yet entered a plea.
