Cameras permitted for alleged Charlie Kirk killer's court hearings
· UPIMay 8 (UPI) -- A judge ruled on Friday that cameras -- both video and photography -- will be permitted in the courtroom during hearings for alleged Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson's court hearings.
Prosecutors and Robinson's attorneys have argued over whether cameras would be permitted, with defense lawyers raising concerns that the potential jury pool could be polluted but Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf disagreed, The Salt Lake Tribune and The Wall Street Journal reported.
Graf also delayed Robinson's preliminary hearing from May 18 to July 6 to allow his attorneys to review the growing mountain of evidence that prosecutors continue to file as they collect it from various agencies, Fox News reported.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child in connection with the shooting death of Kirk, who was a prominent conservative activist.
In Utah, cameras are permitted in court for cases unless a judge decides they are inappropriate, which the Tribune reported has been the standard in the state for at least a decade.
The defense argued that a survey of people in Utah County shows that 99% of participants were aware of the case and that 64% believed that Robinson is guilty, but Graf pointed to state law requires media requests to be considered individually, as opposed to an all-out ban.
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