Accused Charlie Kirk killer makes first court appearance

by · UPI

Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Tyler Robinson made his first in-person pre-trial court hearing in Utah on Thursday following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10.

Video footage showed Robinson, 22, wearing civilian clothing during the court hearing, as requested by his attorneys.

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

He could be sentenced to death if convicted on the aggravated murder charge and is accused of shooting Kirk during a Turning Point USA outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem. He turned himself in to police one day after Kirk's murder.

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Robinson did not enter a plea after he appeared remotely during his arraignment hearing on Sept. 29, and a second court hearing on Oct. 24 was completed via audio, according to Fox News.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys both filed motions to seal the audio recording and transcript of the Oct. 24 hearing held in the Utah County Justice Court.

That hearing regarded how Robinson would appear when in court and security matters at the courthouse.

Media seek greater transparency

The closed-door court hearings spurred opposition from a coalition of media groups that are demanding more transparency in the matter.

The coalition has asked prosecutors and Robinson's defense attorneys to provide advance notice whenever they move to seal court filings or restrict access to them, so that such actions could be challenged before they take effect.

California trial attorney Roger Bonakdar told Fox News that it's unusual for a court case to shift from being fully transparent and then "completely shut off" all access to court filings.

"When they first arrested Tyler Robinson, the information tap was at full blast," Bonakdar said.

"They told us that they had audio recordings from Tyler Robinson and a purported confession," Bonakdar explained.

"They told us that there was video footage from a local fast-food restaurant," he continued. "They were very, very almost oversharing in the beginning."

Bonakdar said the transparency came to a sudden halt.

"Now they've shut that tap off," he said. "They're saying you can't even come to court and hear about what we're doing when most of it's probably procedural."

Prosecutors sought an indictment against Robinson instead of filing a criminal complaint, which Bonakdar said prevented a publicly held preliminary hearing.

It also blocks access to evidence, which only would be revealed if defense attorneys file motions months later.

Erika Kirk questions lack of transparency

Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, last month voiced her concerns that Robinson is being shielded from media and public scrutiny while his case proceeds.

"There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered," she said when interviewed by Fox News' Jesse Waters.

"There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning," Erika Kirk said. "There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move, analyzing my every smile, my every tear."

She said Robinson similarly should be shown on camera as the case against him proceeds in court.

Robinson remains jailed at the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork, Utah, after he formally was arrested on Sept. 12.

Erika Kirk has accepted the leadership role at Turning Point USA and during a Sept. 21 memorial event she said has forgiven Robinson.

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Author Madeleine Wickham, better known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, arrives at the premiere of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" in New York City on February 5, 2009. Kinsella, who wrote the "Confessions of a Shopaholic" book and "Can You Keep a Secret?" died at the age of 55 on December 10. Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI | License Photo