A judge in Utah has held prosecutors in contempt of court after ruling that they violated restrictions on public comments in the high-profile murder case involving conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
Judge Tony Graf ruled that prosecutors made statements to media outlets that went beyond what was permitted under the court's publicity order. However, he rejected a request from the defence to remove the death penalty as a possible punishment, describing such a move as "grossly disproportionate" to the violation. Instead, the judge said any potential prejudice could be addressed during jury selection by carefully screening prospective jurors.
The defendant, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder over the fatal shooting of Kirk during a public event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Defence lawyers argued that Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard attempted to influence potential jurors by giving interviews about ballistic evidence and publicly stating that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to prove Robinson's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ballard defended his comments, saying he was responding to misleading reports about forensic testing. Earlier media reports suggested that the bullet recovered from the scene did not match the rifle investigators believe was used in the shooting, leading to speculation and conspiracy theories about the case. Ballard said the initial tests were inconclusive rather than contradictory and that he was simply correcting misinformation.
Judge Graf agreed that explaining the status of the ballistic evidence did not violate the court's order. However, he ruled that Ballard crossed the line when he publicly declared that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict Robinson, saying those remarks carried a substantial risk of influencing potential jurors.
The judge stressed that his ruling was intended solely to enforce the court's restrictions on attorney conduct and was not a reflection on the strength of the prosecution's case.
Investigators have said DNA believed to belong to Robinson was found on the rifle's trigger, a fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges, and a towel allegedly used to wrap the weapon. The case is expected to proceed as both sides continue preparing for trial.
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