Utah taxpayers are on the hook for Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin’s defense team, which has the potential to reach eight figures, criminal defense attorneys told Fox News Digital.
After the shooting on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Kirk was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he died, officials said. Tyler Robinson was charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Kathryn Nester, a former federal public defender with more than 30 years of experience, was appointed to be Robinson’s attorney on Wednesday, according to a Utah County spokesperson. While the Utah County Commission approved $1 million in initial staffing additions to go towards the prosecution and defense team in Robinson’s case, local attorneys told Fox News Digital that they expect the total amount spent defending the murder suspect to be much higher.
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
“I think when we’re all said and done, this will cost the state much more than $500,000. We’re talking about seven or even eight figures,” Rahmani said. “But if Tyler Robinson is sentenced to death, and he has to go through the mandatory Utah state and federal appeals, we’re talking about millions of dollars, potentially even north of $10 million.”
Rahmani said the number spent by Utah taxpayers will be less if jurors don’t return a death sentence, but would still be in the millions.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who led Turning Point USA. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Skye Lazaro, a Utah-based criminal defense attorney, told Fox News Digital the case will cost Utah taxpayers “at least a couple million dollars” to pay for Robinson’s defense, but that’s if a jury doesn’t hand down a death sentence. That number would be much higher if a death sentence is given to Robinson because of the appeals process, Lazaro said.
“I don’t even know how you’d put a dollar amount on that,” Lazaro said, adding that the $10 million figure given by Rahmani isn’t “off base.”
