OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
9:48 AM – Thursday, December 11, 2025
Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of assassinating Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, is set to make his first in-person court appearance, nearly three months after his arrest.
The 22-year-old suspect will appear in court at the Utah County courthouse in Provo, Utah, on Thursday.
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, first-degree felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of second-degree obstruction of justice, third-degree tampering with a witness, and violent offense committed in the presence of a child, all relating to the fatal shooting at a September 10th event at Utah Valley University.
A 33-hour manhunt ensued after the shooting before Robinson was taken into custody. He has appeared in court virtually, via video or audio calls, but not yet in person.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office filed a motion in October requesting “restricted media coverage,” arguing that the high-profile nature of the case — a “content tornado” — would affect the proceedings, infringing on Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
District Court Judge Tony F. Grant Jr. ruled that cameras would be banned from filming the suspect “entering, exiting, or standing in the courtroom.” Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, denounced this decision in a November interview with Fox News.
“There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered. There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning. There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear. We deserve to have cameras in there,” Kirk stated. “Why not be transparent?”
Media organizations and Americans have consistently pushed back, arguing that the public has a right to know about the case. A coalition of media outlets, including Fox News, has requested that defense attorneys be required to give notice in advance if they seek to seal filings so that those limitations may be judged publicly.
Michael Judd, an attorney for the group, wrote in recent filings that an open courtroom “safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process” while strengthening public confidence in judicial proceedings. He also noted that criminal cases have long been open to the public in the U.S.
Legal analyst and California-based trial attorney Roger Bonakdar said that Thursday’s hearing will be a “one-trick pony,” in that it will specifically address the prior order that media would be blocked from coverage of the proceedings.
He also highlighted the dramatic shift from the earlier wide scrutiny over the trial.
“It has been pretty odd that the information tap was at full blast for a little while and now it’s completely shut off,” he said. “It’s really kind of inconsistent with how you see cases move forward typically.”
Early in the investigation, authorities were more forthcoming about the details of the case, especially after the manhunt for the suspect led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to turn to the public, releasing surveillance images and asking for tips.
In addition to blocking media coverage, Robinson’s attire is a point of concern regarding fairness in the trial. A prior hearing in the case was postponed due to disputes over whether Robinson should appear in court wearing civilian clothing or prison attire and if he should be restrained. Robinson’s legal team argued that prison garb and handcuffs would cause jurors and the general public to see him as guilty before any evidence is presented.
“Courts oftentimes will prohibit the media from depicting the defendant in shackles or in jail clothing because it creates this inference of guilt,” Bonakdar explained.
On the contrary, he noted, “Anybody who does a Google search will know… at some point it may be an exercise in futility. Is the damage already done?”
Prosecutors have been open about their intention to pursue the death penalty for Robinson. When he was first arrested, President Donald Trump announced, “With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” and “I hope he gets the death penalty.”
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