Charlie Kirk's murder case is still at the starting line a year after his death.
Utah man Tyler Robinson, 23, was formally charged with Kirk’s murder within a week of the conservative activist’s death, but it took nearly 12 months for a judge to determine that Robinson should go to trial for the crime.
The slow-moving nature of the case is not a surprise, a legal expert told The Arizona Republic.
“Some of these cases take two, three, four, five, six years to get to trial. It's a function of the number of moving pieces there are, and then sort of the seriousness of the crime and the level of scrutiny it's going to face, especially if death is imposed,” said David Black, a criminal attorney in Phoenix. "It's not unusual at all to take this long."
A judge ruled that Robinson could stand trial for the murder on Sept. 1, 2026, nearly a year after Kirk was killed. Robinson was bound over for trial on seven charges including capital murder, which carries the death penalty.
Robinson’s lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The judge’s decision marked "an important step in our family’s pursuit of justice," the Kirk family said in a written statement.
“Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father. We are grateful to all who have continue d to pray for us, support us, and stand with us through a year of unimaginable grief,” the Kirk family said.
Though the case is moving slowly, lawyers have been active in the Utah Fourth District Court. The state presented troves of evidence at a five-day preliminary hearing in July, which was attended by Kirk’s family and friends.
Prosecutors successfully proved to the judge that there was probable cause to believe that Robinson committed the crime and should stand trial for it. That’s a much lower standard than proving whether Robinson is guilty, which will be addressed at a trial.
It’s not clear when the trial will begin. Lawyers plan to discuss the details at an Oct. 23 hearing.
Utah prosecutors have expressed their desire to bring the case to a conclusion.
“The state would take this case to trial tomorrow if we could, Judge,” Utah prosecutor Chad Grunander said during the Sept. 1 hearing.
The Kirk family also has pressed for a speedy trial.
Erika Kirk asked the judge to make a prompt determination of probable cause at the end of the July preliminary hearing, according to a legal filing. The judge made a decision on the Sept. 1 deadline that Kirk had requested.Kirk’s lawyer again asked the judge to keep things moving after he said Robinson could go to trial.
“The United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants many rights. The right to delay is not among them,” Jeffrey Nieman, the lawyer for the Kirk family, said during the hearing. “The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, and he must be given one, but nothing more is owed.”
A sticking point in the case has been media access. Kirk was a well-known voice in the Republican Party and his assassination captured the nation’s attention. More than a million people tuned in to watch coverage of a hearing in the murder case on Kirk’s X account.
Robinson’s lawyers have sought to curtail media access, expressing concern that intense scrutiny of the case could harm Robinson’s ability to get a fair trial.
Kirk’s lawyers have raised their own worries about a fair trial, but they have advocated for a speedy trial and cameras in the courtroom.
“Delay creates a vacuum, and vacuums fill with speculation. That distorts public understanding and erodes confidence in the courts, and that serves nobody, not the defendant, not the state, and not the public,” Nieman said.
Black, who is not involved in the case, urged caution. He said it is important to let the process play out to ensure any conviction stands and is not reversed on appeal.
“If people care and they want a just result, then they need to let the process play itself out. This guy has rights; they're constitutional rights, and we should allow him to exercise them. And if he's still convicted, then that means that he definitely is guilty and justice was served,” Black said.
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. She co-hosts “The Gaggle,” The Republic’s weekly politics podcast. Reach her at stephanie.murray@usatodayco.com, on X and TikTok @stephanie_murr and on Instagram @stephaniemurray.news.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's where Charlie Kirk murder case stands one year after his death
