Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, on Friday, June 12, 2026. (Francisco Kjolseth \/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-06-22T04:21:53Z<\/p>\n
The Utah judge in the murder case over Charlie Kirk\u2019s killing says he will rule Monday whether prosecutors could face sanctions for comments to the media about a bullet fragment<\/a><\/span> recovered from the conservative activist\u2019s body.<\/p>\n Lawyers for defendant Tyler Robinson have asked Judge Tony Graf to block the death penalty<\/a><\/span> in the case, claiming the prosecutors\u2019 comments could sway potential jurors regarding his guilt.<\/p>\n But criminal law expert Paul Cassell said it would be extraordinary for Graf to grant the defense request. Their concerns could be addressed in other ways, such as more closely questioning jurors to ensure they aren\u2019t biased, the University of Utah law professor said.<\/p>\n \u201cA standard defense attorney maneuver is to avoid talking about the guilt or innocence of your client. The theory is that as long as you\u2019re talking about anything other than whether the defendant is guilty, you\u2019re winning as a defense attorney,\u201d Cassell said. \u201cThis seems to be an extreme example of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives of the Utah County Attorney\u2019s Office said they were compelled to speak publicly about the case following speculation in some media outlets. <\/p>\n The speculation began after the defense team publicly disclosed that initial tests were inconclusive to determine whether the bullet was fired from the suspected murder weapon.<\/p>\n