PROVO, Utah — The judge overseeing the case against accused assassin Tyler Robinson ruled Monday on when the trial will begin, rejecting sharply different proposals from prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case involving the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk last year.
Robinson, 22, is accused of killing Kirk, 31, on Sept. 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Prosecutors allege he fired a .30-06 hunting rifle from a rooftop across the campus courtyard.
Judge Tony Graf Jr. said Monday that Robinson’s trial is scheduled to begin June 21, 2028, with 105 days reserved for the proceedings.
Utah County prosecutors had requested Jan. 31, 2028, as their preferred start date, while saying they could be ready as early as October 2027. Robinson’s defense team had identified late 2029 as a “soft target” for the trial.
Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, appears in court during his first in-person hearing on Dec. 11, 2025. (Pool/KSL-TV)
Staci Visser, one of Robinson’s attorneys, told the court in October that the prosecution’s proposed schedule was “not practical” because of the volume of discovery in the case.
“Discovery review is foundational,” Visser said. “It impacts everything else.”
The court has also been coordinating with both sides to avoid a trial date that would overlap with proceedings already scheduled in other cases.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was addressing attendees during his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
One scheduling conflict involved a federal racketeering case in which defense attorney Richard Novak is scheduled to begin trial on Jan. 10, 2028, the date prosecutors had sought for the Robinson case.
“The reality is rushing to trial does not lead to closure. It does not lead to finality. It leads to mistakes,” Novak said during an Oct. 23 hearing.
Both sides also agreed that an earlier trial, interrupted by a holiday break, could create difficulties for prospective jurors and witnesses.
MORE ON THIS: Charlie Kirk murder suspect Tyler Robinson gets trial date
The case’s slow progress has drawn criticism from President Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that the judge was doing “a terrible job” of moving the proceedings forward.
A map of the UVU campus identifies key locations around the courtyard where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025. (After-Action report for Utah Valley University)
“This case should be tried within a month, not three years — and it should be over with,” Trump wrote. “The judge is desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk, while taking forever to ask questions that people already know the answer to. The whole Country is mocking him and our ‘Legal’ System. JUSTICE FOR CHARLIE!”
Robinson’s attorneys cited the president’s post in asking that news cameras be removed from the courtroom. Graf denied the request, as he has on several previous occasions.
Judge Tony Graf presides over Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing. (Pool)
“He’s very slow — he’s very deliberate on making decisions,” Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor, said Monday on “Fox & Friends.” “I do hope he sets a trial date. The only reason he wouldn’t is if he says there are too many motions that are still outstanding and we need to get through those first.”
Rotunno had expected Graf’s decision to fall between the trial dates proposed by the two sides.
“Justice delayed this long stops being justice for the Kirk family,” Jeffrey Neiman, an attorney for Kirk’s widow, Erika, told the court during the Oct. 23 hearing.
Robinson did not enter a plea until last month, nearly a year after he was charged.
“Your honor, if you set [a trial date], it will happen,” Neiman said. “Set it, please.”
The hearing begins at 3 p.m. ET.
