In an upcoming courtroom battle, the defense team for Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, plans to bring in a notable expert witness. This expert previously collaborated with the legal team of Bryan Kohberger and will testify at a hearing scheduled for Friday. The primary aim is to argue against allowing news cameras in the courtroom, as revealed by recent court documents.
Dr. Bryan Edelman, a trial consultant based in California with a doctorate in social psychology, was enlisted by Robinson’s defense to perform a telephone survey. His analysis, which was submitted on March 13, will play a significant role in the proceedings.
“Dr. Edelman believes that the modern digital landscape, dominated by the internet and social media, especially with algorithmic content curation, has significantly changed how people consume news. This shift makes it exceedingly difficult for residents in the case’s locality to avoid exposure to intense, high-profile media coverage,” the defense team stated in a recent filing.
Shown on the left, Bryan Kohberger, 30, is seen during his sentencing hearing after being found guilty of the 2022 murders of four students from Idaho, in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. On the right, Tyler Robinson, charged with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, is pictured at a hearing in the Fourth District Court on December 11, 2025, in Provo, Utah. Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder and are pursuing the death penalty. (Image credits: Kyle Green/Pool via REUTERS, Rick Egan-Pool/Getty Images)
Pictured left, Tyler Robinson, accused of Charlie Kirk’s murder, appears alongside defense attorney Kathryn Nester during a Fourth District Court hearing in Provo on Friday, January 16, 2026. (Photo by Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)
Edelman’s upcoming testimony is set to explore the impact of pretrial publicity and the public sentiment surrounding Robinson’s case. Robinson is facing the death penalty if found guilty of the aggravated murder charge concerning Kirk’s death.
Robinson, 22, is accused of firing the fatal shot from a rooftop at Utah Valley University as Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, spoke to a crowd of about 3,000 in the campus’ central courtyard.
In a summary of Edelman’s opinions filed with the court, the defense suggested that social media algorithms promote prominent local news, making it harder for potential jurors to avoid pretrial coverage of a case, including online commentary.
Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd after arriving at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“Experimental research indicates that hostile or uncivil comments can affect readers’ interpretations and perceptions,” the defense wrote in the new filing. “In practical terms, the same news item may be encountered alongside inflammatory commentary that can heighten emotional response and shape impressions beyond the factual content of the reporting.”
Robinson’s lawyers, Kathryn Nester, Michael Burt, Richard Novak and Staci Visser, also argued that pretrial publicity impacts the jury pool and can increase the likelihood of guilty verdicts. Judges are often tasked with balancing the public’s right to access court proceedings and a defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf speaks during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in 4th District Court, on Friday, March. 13, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
Edelman also worked on a controversial juror questionnaire on behalf of Kohberger’s legal team. It included questions that Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson alleged were aimed at tainting the jury pool in that case.
Multiple people contacted for the survey called police, raising concerns about violations of a gag order meant to protect details ahead of trial.
Judge John Judge, who was presiding over Kohberger’s case at the time, called it “ironic” that the defense survey could have tainted the jury pool, rather than allegations from the prosecution.
Mark Calzaretta, a jury consultant and founding partner at Magna Legal Services, told Fox News Digital previously that surveys are common practice when the defense is seeking a change of venue.
An approximation of the suspected movements of Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, based on court documents, video from the scene and conversations with law enforcement. (Fox News Digital)
Kohberger’s push for a change of venue out of Latah County succeeded, but he ultimately pleaded guilty in Ada County to avoid the death penalty weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin last year.
Robinson’s defense has already tried to have the Utah County Attorney’s Office disqualified from the case over an alleged conflict of interest. Judge Tony Graf Jr. denied the request.
People run after shots were fired during an appearance by Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
Other high-profile cases Edelman has worked on include the murder trial of former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke and Buffalo supermarket mass shooter Payton Gendron.
Edelman’s testimony is also expected to include topics related from a declaration he filed in Gendron’s pending federal case, demographics in Utah County, where Robinson’s trial is expected to be held, and the fairness of the jury selection process.
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