A defense attorney for accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson sparked outrage inside and outside a Utah courtroom Tuesday after arguing that Kirk had spoken “hatefully” before he was shot and killed in front of thousands of people at Utah Valley University.
The remarks came during a preliminary hearing for Robinson, 23, who is accused of assassinating the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder on Sept. 10, 2025.
New Jersey criminal defense attorney David Gelman blasted the comments as wildly inappropriate.
“I think what the defense attorney said regarding Charlie Kirk and that he was full of hate, that was so unprofessional,” said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based criminal defense attorney who has been following the case. “That was so out of left field that he honestly — he should be embarrassed of what he said.”
California-based defense attorney Richard Novak made the comments while arguing against sending the case forward for trial.
“Mr. Kirk spoke hatefully of certain groups of people,” Novak claimed during his argument against binding over the case for trial.
Novak also argued that there was a “significant gap” between Kirk’s beliefs and Robinson’s views of him.
The remarks landed with Kirk’s parents, widow and other relatives sitting inside the courtroom. Family members exchanged looks, and some became emotional as Novak repeated the characterization.
Gelman said the comments crossed a line, particularly with Kirk’s grieving family present.
“You don’t ever and I mean ever say that, No. 1, as a defense attorney or a prosecutor, especially not even at a trial,” Gelman said. “If you want to paint Charlie as a bad person in front of the jury, knock your socks off. Do whatever you think you have to do. But to do that at a preliminary hearing…when you have the victim’s family all there, that was totally uncalled for.”
Prosecutors and an attorney representing Kirk’s family quickly pushed back.
Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander told the court there was no evidence presented during the hearing showing Kirk hated particular groups.
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“The state takes great exception with Mr. Novak attributing all of this ‘hate’ to Mr. Kirk during his argument today,” Grunander said in his rebuttal. “None of what was presented during the preliminary hearing shows that he is hateful towards this group or hateful towards that group. He had an opinion that he would express on politics and religion. That doesn’t make it hate, but the fact that Mr. Novak even considered as hate makes the case for the state in his client’s own words, he hated what Mr. Kirk stood for.”
Jeffrey Neiman, an attorney for the Kirk family, also defended Kirk’s legacy and pointed to his willingness to publicly debate people who disagreed with him.
“Charlie was the opposite of hate,” he said. “Firing a bullet into a crowd and assassinating him. That is hate.”
Prosecutors have alleged that Robinson himself invoked hatred when explaining the killing in messages sent to his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs.
Twiggs has emerged as a central prosecution witness, with investigators alleging Tyler Robinson confessed to him and described an apparent motive for targeting Kirk.
“Why did I do it?” Robinson allegedly wrote to Twiggs after the slaying. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence.”
Gelman rejected the defense’s characterization of Kirk and pointed instead to Kirk’s public events, where he routinely invited political opponents to challenge him directly.
“Charlie Kirk was not full of hatred,” Gelman said. “If anything, he was full of love…He brought people together. He was there doing a free speech event, all right? He’s trying to bring people on the left on the right together.”
Judge Tony Graf Jr. ultimately bound over all charges for trial Tuesday, including aggravated murder, which is eligible for the death penalty.
Robinson’s attorney, Kathy Nester, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all charges during his arraignment.
Robinson is scheduled to return to court Oct. 23 for a pretrial conference, where a trial date could be set.
The defense’s attack on Kirk’s rhetoric did not stop the case from moving forward, but it did ignite another fierce backlash in a prosecution already loaded with political tension and national attention.
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