CHARLIE KIRK MURDER TRIAL SET TO BEGIN IN JUNE 2028

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The trial of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the United States, is scheduled to begin in June 2028, Newsweek reports.

Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf on Monday fixed June 21, 2028, for jury selection, amid pressure from Kirk’s family and President Donald Trump for the case to be heard sooner.

Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and related charges over Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. He remains in custody without bail.

According to Newsweek, prosecutors had proposed January 31, 2028, as the latest date for the trial to begin, while Robinson’s defence team requested a start in the third quarter of 2029, citing the extensive preparation required for the complex case, in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, had urged the court to begin the trial as early as October 2027, arguing that prolonged proceedings would further affect the couple’s two young children.

In a court filing, her lawyer, Jeffrey Neiman, said the children, who were one and three years old when their father was killed, would be six and eight by the time the trial concluded under the defence’s proposed schedule.

“Under the defendants’ proposed schedule, Mr Kirk’s two children, who were one and three at the time he was murdered, will be six and eight years old by the time the trial concludes.

“They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives,” he said.

Graf ruled in September that Robinson should stand trial after finding that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence to establish probable cause. He also allowed prosecutors to continue pursuing the death penalty.

Prosecutors allege that Robinson confessed to the killing in a text message to his roommate.

Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck while addressing a question about gun violence during a rally at the university. An investigator testified that the gunman fired from a rooftop about 415 feet away using a bolt-action rifle.

Robinson surrendered to authorities the following day after his parents recognised photographs of him released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the manhunt.

Investigators recovered a rifle wrapped in a towel in woodland near the shooting scene, alongside a shell casing and three unfired bullets bearing engraved messages.

However, Robinson’s lawyers have questioned the reliability of DNA tests and other evidence presented by prosecutors, although they have not identified an alternative suspect.

Trump has also criticised the pace of the proceedings, accusing Judge Graf of taking too long to handle the case and demanding an earlier trial.

In an October 23 post on his Truth Social platform, the US President accused the judge of “desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk” by delaying the proceedings and called for justice for the slain activist.

Kirk was a prominent conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, an organisation that mobilises young people around conservative political causes. His killing at a university event drew national attention and renewed debate over political violence in the United States.

The case is being closely watched as Robinson faces a possible death sentence if convicted.