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Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is scheduled to stand trial in the summer of 2028, Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf ruled Monday afternoon.
Jury selection will begin June 21, 2028, Graf said.
Robinson, 23, pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and six related offenses in last year\u2019s killing of Kirk, who was shot as he spoke to a crowd of several thousand people at Utah Valley University.
At the urging of his family, Robinson turned himself in a day after the shooting. He could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
The court will hold monthly pretrial status conferences to ensure constitutional rights for both Robinson and Kirk\u2019s wife, Erika.
The timeline is intended \u201cto ensure that the constitutional rights of Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Kirk are upheld at every junction, each party is treated with the dignity and respect they are due, as they are human beings, and that the Sixth Amendment right is protected,\u201d Graf wrote in his order.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy trial.
\u201cGiven Mr. Robinson\u2019s current status, unnecessary delay remains a serious concern,\u201d Graf said, adding that he will reserve 105 court days for trial.
In explaining the court\u2019s timeline, Graf said both sides must have sufficient time to review tens of thousands of files of evidence, which includes 8 million digital artifacts and about 3.3 terabytes of data. Similarly, Graf said jury and setting selection must proceed at a pace that allows for thorough vetting.
Utah County prosecutors said they expected a 17-week trial; they said they would be ready by October 2027, The Associated Press reported. But rather than hold the proceedings during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, they initially proposed the trial begin Jan. 31, 2028.
Robinson\u2019s defense attorneys asked for a 2029 trial to give them time to prepare their case, but attorneys for Kirk\u2019s widow pushed back against the defense\u2019s proposed schedule, calling it \u201cabsurd\u201d and suggesting that Robinson\u2019s legal team was simply trying to delay.
At the end of the hearing Monday, attorney Jeffrey Neiman said the family would accept the June 21 trial date but implored the court to hold to the schedule and avoid any further delays.
\u201cLook, the Kirk family obviously has the right to speedy disposition of this case. A trial in the summer of 2028, three years after Charlie\u2019s assassination, does not feel very speedy to the Kirk family.\u201d
\u201cThe family has waited long enough already,\u201d Neiman added. \u201cThey should not have to wait any longer for this.\u201d
Alicia Victoria Lozano is a California-based reporter for NBC News focusing on climate change, wildfires and the changing politics of drug laws.
Leah Nagy is a producer.\u00a0
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