US judge holds prosecutor in contempt in Charlie Kirk murder case

Judge Tony Graf of Utah held prosecutors in contempt of court on Friday over comments they made to media organizations about defendant Tyler Robinson in the Charlie Kirk murder case. Graf said the comments violated his restrictions on what both sides can say about the case outside of court.

However, the judge denied a defense request to take the death penalty off the table as a penalty for the violation. He said the issue could instead be resolved through the screening and questioning process for potential jurors, which aims to eliminate biased individuals.

Robinson, a 23-year-old from southwestern Utah, has not yet entered a plea. He is charged with aggravated murder in the September 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk, an ally of US President Donald Trump who was shot in the neck while addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University.

Defense lawyers accused Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard of trying to influence potential jurors by going on a "media tour" to discuss ballistics evidence. Ballard also stated that prosecutors had enough evidence to show Robinson murdered Kirk.

Graf said comments about the bullet did not violate court rules, but Ballard went too far when he added that prosecutors had "ample evidence to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Tyler Robinson committed this murder." The judge said these additional public statements had a "substantial likelihood" of prejudicing the case.

Graf emphasized that the comments were not made out of malicious intent to taint the jury pool and that his ruling was unrelated to the charges against Robinson. "Its sole purpose is enforcement of a narrowly tailored publicity order governing attorney conduct," he said.

Authorities have stated that DNA consistent with Robinson's was found on the rifle's trigger, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges, and a towel used to wrap the rifle.