PROVO, Utah (Scripps News Salt Lake City) — The 22-year-old man charged with killing Charlie Kirk made his second court appearance on Monday.
Tyler Robinson appeared virtually during the hearing, a change that was requested by the defense prior to Monday’s hearing.
This booking photo provided by the Utah Governor’s Office to Scripps News showing Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused in the killing of Charlie Kirk. (Utah Governor’s Office/Utah County Jail)
Robinson faces seven charges for the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University, though he could face additional charges on the federal level. State charges include aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, 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.
During Monday’s hearing, prosecutors and Robinson’s newly assigned legal team, led by Kathryn N. Nester, discussed recent court orders and the discovery process, during which both teams will share evidence to be used in the case.
Prosecutors told the court that they are ready to hand over their evidence to the defense and that both sides met before court this morning to discuss the transfer of the files. Both the defense and prosecution agreed to the terms for discovery and noted that there were “substantial” amounts of evidence.
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The court also discussed a publicity order that had been placed on the case. The rule in question is Rule 3.6 of the Utah Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibits a lawyer from “making an extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by the means of public communication…”
In the protective order given by the judge, it was stated, “…. lawyers participating in the investigation or litigation of this case shall inform all witnesses, investigators, consultants, staff members or other members of the prosecution or defense teams about the prohibitions contained in this order.”
The prosecution argued that some witnesses haven’t been identified yet and that it would be impractical to relay the message currently. The defense agreed, stating that it was “fairly obvious we don’t have everyone identified yet.”
The judge agreed, stating that both sides will have to inform witnesses of the order and that they must abide by it once they become known.
The defense told the court that they are not prepared to discuss waiving preliminary hearings or detention hearings at this time, as discovery has not yet begun. They requested a check-in date 30 to 60 days from now, allowing them time to prepare their case.
The judge agreed, scheduling the next preliminary hearing for October 30th at 10:00 a.m. That hearing will be in-person, with Robinson expected to be present in the courtroom.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Salt Lake City, an E.W. Scripps Company.
