Utah Judge Weighs 2029 Trial Request in Charlie Kirk Killing as Trump Attacks the Delay

A Utah judge opened a hearing in Provo on Friday afternoon to set a trial date for Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Three schedules are on the table, and they sit years apart.

Robinson's lawyers asked District Judge Tony Graf to start the trial in the third quarter of 2029. In their filing, the defense said it expects a trial of six to seven months and needs years to prepare because of the volume of evidence and the disputes expected over venue, jury selection and witnesses, according to Reuters.

Utah prosecutors took the other side. They are seeking the death penalty and asked for a start date of Jan. 31, 2028, for a trial they expect to last 17 weeks, according to their scheduling memo reported by Reuters and CNN.

Erika Kirk, the victim's widow, asked the judge to reject the defense plan. Her lawyer called the 2029 request "grossly out of line" in a court filing and asked for a trial in 2027, preferably no later than Oct. 4. The filing said her two children were three and one years old when their father was murdered, and would be seven and five by the time a verdict arrived under the defense schedule, CNN reported.

Hours before the hearing, President Donald Trump attacked the judge in a post on Truth Social. "The judge in the Charlie Kirk case is doing a terrible job," Trump wrote. He said the case "should be tried within a month, not three years," and accused Graf of "desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk." He ended the post with the words "JUSTICE FOR CHARLIE."

Robinson has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury. Prosecutors say he shot Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, while Kirk was debating students at an outdoor event for his nonprofit, Turning Point USA, at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Kirk was 31 and a close ally of Trump who mobilized young voters around conservative and Christian views. Prosecutors allege Robinson targeted Kirk for his opposition to gay marriage and transgender rights. Defense attorney Richard Novak has said there is no evidence Robinson opposed those views.

Graf was due to hear from all sides at the Friday hearing before setting the schedule. No trial date had been announced as the hearing got under way, and Robinson was due to appear in court on Friday afternoon.