Charlie Kirk’s family faces another long wait for the accused killer’s day in court after a Utah judge Monday scheduled jury selection for June 2028.
The decision sets the stage for a death penalty trial nearly three years after the conservative activist was fatally shot during a Sept. 10, 2025, event at Utah Valley University.
Utah District Judge Tony Graf ordered jury selection to begin June 21, 2028, for Tyler James Robinson, 23. Robinson has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and related charges and remains held without bail.
The date falls between competing proposals from prosecutors and defense attorneys, despite calls from Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and President Donald Trump to move faster.
Erika Kirk, 37, had pushed for an October 2027 start, at the latest. Her attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, argued that a prolonged wait would force the couple’s young children to spend years living with an unresolved criminal case.
“Under the defendants’ proposed schedule, Mr. Kirk’s two children, who were one and three at the time he was murdered, will be six and eight years old by the time the trial concludes,” Neiman previously wrote in a court filing. “They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives.”
Robinson’s defense team sought a start in the third quarter of 2029, citing the extensive preparation required for a complex capital case.
Prosecutors proposed Jan. 31, 2028, for a trial they estimated would last 17 weeks.
Monday’s scheduling decision follows Graf’s September ruling that prosecutors had established probable cause to send Robinson to trial in Charlie Kirk’s killing. The case can proceed with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors allege Robinson admitted to the shooting in a text message to his roommate and romantic partner.
