Tyler Robinson Makes 1st In-Person Court Appearance
Remember Accused Charlie Kirk Killer, Tyler Robinson? Well, He Just Had His 1st Day In Court
Hey, do y’all remember Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of shooting and killing white Christian nationalist sweetheart Charlie Kirk?
I ask because right-wing pundits, GOP leaders and other assorted MAGA minions stopped talking about Robinson so much after it became apparent that there’s not enough unambiguous evidence to definitively say where Robinson falls on the ideological spectrum, meaning he’s likely not the “far left radical” they claimed he is — not that a glaring lack of evidence ever stopped these people from just making things up.
Of course, Kirk himself had also become far less ubiquitous in trending MAGA news; at least until his widow, Erika Kirk, began her media tours, and after she was photographed hugging Vice President JD Vance a little too intimately. (Does she even know that man is married to a nice Indian woman he probably doesn’t like?)
Anyway, I just figured that since outside of the MAGA world and the media, there might be like nine people who care about Kirk or his alleged killer, I’d check the room temperature to make sure it’s worth reporting that, on Thursday, Robinson made his first in-person court appearance, where his legal team seeks to limit media access to his trial.
Ahh, whatever, let’s report.
From the Associated Press:
A Utah judge is weighing the public’s right to know details in the prosecution of Tyler Robinson against his attorneys’ concerns that the swarm of media attention could interfere with his right to a fair trial.
Robinson’s legal team and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office have asked Judge Tony Graf to ban cameras in the courtroom.
Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few miles north of the Provo courthouse. They plan to seek the death penalty.
Robinson arrived in court with restraints on his wrists and ankles and wearing a dress shirt, tie and slacks. He smiled at family members sitting in the front row of the courtroom, where his mother teared up and wiped her eyes with a tissue. Robinson’s father and brother sat next to her.
During a closed hearing in October, Judge Graf issued a ruling that prohibited media outlets from filming or photographing Robinson’s restraints after his attorneys argued the images would prejudice potential jurors. According to WION, Kirk supporters who are just learning of that hearing are upset about it — predictably flying off into “cover up” conspiracy mode — and they’re also upset that Robinson’s legal team has formally requested a complete ban on cameras in the courtroom, arguing that the “content tornado” of social media coverage will make a fair trial impossible.
OK, so maybe Kirk is still their favorite MAGA martyr.
Kirk’s fans aren’t the only ones urging the judge to reverse course, though. AP noted that a “coalition of national and local news organizations, including the Associated Press, is fighting to preserve media access in the case,” and that Michael Judd, an attorney for the media coalition, “has urged Graf to let the news organizations weigh in on any future requests for closed hearings or other limitations.”
So, stay tuned, y’all — or not?
SEE ALSO:
Tyler Robinson Arrested In The Murder Of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk: Tyler Robinson Charged With Aggravated Murder
Charlie Kirk: Everything We Know About Alleged Killer Tyler Robinson
