PROVO, Utah – President Donald Trump criticized the judge overseeing Charlie Kirk’s assassination case in Utah on Friday, saying he’s doing a “terrible job.”
“The judge in the Charlie Kirk case is doing a terrible job! This case should be tried within a month, not three years — and it should be over with! The judge is desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk, while taking forever to ask questions that people already know the answer to. The whole Country is mocking him and our ‘Legal’ System. JUSTICE FOR CHARLIE!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump’s comments come after Tyler Robinson’s defense team proposed a tentative trial start date in the third quarter of 2029.
In a court filing, Robinson’s defense team cited the large volume of unreviewed evidence and the complexities of jury selection as justification for the proposed timeline.
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His defense team argued that setting a firm trial date now would create a “false precision” and could jeopardize Robinson’s constitutional rights, stressing that the death penalty case requires heightened consideration because, as they argued, “death is different.”
“From the point of view of defense counsel, appointment to a capital case brings with it a slew of responsibilities that apply in no other context,” the defense memorandum states.
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Robinson’s attorneys argued that they must review evidence related to both his guilt and potential sentence before trial, making it premature to set a firm trial date.
“It will create unrealistic expectations for the public and the victim’s representative, it may cause counsel for both parties to give short shrift to constitutionally required activities, it may rush this Court to deliberate upon and enter rulings on important and complex pretrial motions, and it may jeopardize Mr. Robinson’s right to a capital proceeding that has the utmost reliability,” the defense stated.
Prosecutors said they expect to be ready for trial by Oct. 4, 2027.
Erika Kirk asked the court to schedule a trial for the earliest practicable date in 2027, saying Robinson’s legal team’s proposed timeline is “grossly out of line” with comparable cases.
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“Every additional day of delay carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his two young children who were just three and one year old when their father was murdered and would be seven and five years old by the time a verdict is handed down under the Defense’s proposed schedule,” the filing said.
Robinson is due in court on Friday afternoon.