The trial of the man accused of fatally shooting US conservative activist Charlie Kirk is scheduled to begin in June 2028, a Utah judge ruled on Monday.
Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf set June 21, 2028, as the start of jury selection in the case against Tyler Robinson, 23, who has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and related charges.
Robinson remains in custody without bail over the killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
The ruling came amid pressure from Kirk’s family and US President Donald Trump for a faster timeline. Prosecutors had proposed a start as late as January 31, 2028, while the defence sought a date in the third quarter of 2029, citing the complexity of the case.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, had urged the court to begin proceedings as early as October 2027. In a court filing, her lawyer Jeffrey Neiman argued that a longer delay would harm the couple’s two young children.
“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 said. “They will face the uncertainty of this criminal proceeding longer than they had their father in their lives.”
Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck while speaking at a university event. Robinson surrendered to authorities the following day. Investigators recovered a rifle near the scene, and prosecutors say he confessed in a text message to his roommate.
Trump has criticised the pace of the case, saying in an October post that the judge was “desecrating the memory of the Great Charlie Kirk” by delaying proceedings.
