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PROVO, Utah – The Utah man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance Thursday, marking the latest development in the high-profile standoff regarding the trial remaining open to the public.
Tyler Robinson, 22, is charged with aggravated murder stemming from the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk during a Turning Point USA event on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem – with prosecutors planning to seek the death penalty in the case.
Thursday’s hearing dealt in part with the issue of cameras in the courtroom, which has been a key aspect of the case so far in a fight over media coverage, which experts said can be a “double-edged sword” in such high-profile proceedings.
Robinson arrived at the Provo courthouse Thursday with a heavy security presence and clad in a dress shirt, tie and slacks. He wore shackles on his waist, wrists and ankles, and was seen smiling at his teary-eyed mother upon entering the courtroom. His father and brother were also seated in the front row.
ALLEGED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON MAKES FIRST IN-PERSON COURT APPEARANCE
Shortly after the proceedings began, state District Court Judge Tony Graf briefly ordered all members of the media out of the courtroom after Robinson’s attorneys argued the livestream feed was in violation of a previous order barring images of Robinson in shackles.
Graf ultimately allowed the press to return and the livestream to continue, but warned he would terminate future broadcasts if he found the media was in violation of his October order. In the same previous ruling, Graf allowed Robinson to appear in court wearing street clothes.
WATCH: Tyler Robinson appears before judge in first in-person courtroom hearing
“This court takes this very seriously. While the court believes in openness and transparency, it needs to be balanced with the constitutional rights of all parties in this case,” Graf said.
Robinson’s defense team has vehemently contested the trial being open to the public, with his attorneys arguing the sheer magnitude of media attention could infringe on his ability to receive a fair trial.
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However, Utah-based criminal defense attorney Skye Lazaro suggested the publicity could serve as both help and hindrance for Robinson.
“The con is when you argue motions, or you start arguing pretrial litigation issues, there’s a lot of information that gets out there – some of it good, some of it bad,” Lazaro told Fox News Digital. “You might have witnesses that have to testify in court on evidentiary issues, and they’re identifiable to the public. That can create some issues in cases like this, because you don’t want people getting to your witnesses or intimidating them.”
Lazaro also pointed to Robinson’s defense team potentially leveraging the media to release favorable information about the accused killer.
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“The only way really, as a defense attorney under the ethical rules, to get positive information out there about your client, or positive evidence or things that might be helpful to you, is to have press in the courtroom,” Lazaro added. “So it really is a little bit of a double-edged sword.”
Both Robinson’s legal team and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office have asked Graf to bar cameras from entering the courtroom – a request the judge has not yet ruled on.
Since Robinson’s arrest in September, the vast majority of his case has unfolded behind closed doors and away from the lenses of the press. The move has since prompted a coalition of media organizations, including Fox News, to demand greater transparency.
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“I do think that the judge is going to allow the cameras to remain in the courtroom,” said criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno. “It did seem even in his quick ruling today regarding the violation that was made with the cameras, that his interest is still very much in transparency and keeping the courtroom open. Which I think that ruling in and of itself is a good sign as to what’s to come.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has also called upon the court to maintain full transparency in the case, saying, “We deserve to have cameras in there.”
Robinson’s attorney, Kathy Nester, has also previously argued that digitally altered images of Robinson’s initial court photo – with some falsely depicting him having an outburst in court – have spread throughout social media, fostering a heightened amount of misinformation surrounding the case, according to The Associated Press.
Robinson’s defense team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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While Lazaro agreed that the judge is likely to continue allowing the media into the courtroom, she pointed out that the presence of the press could do more harm than good in the eyes of Robinson’s defense team.
“There are a lot of conspiracy theories flying around,” Lazaro said. “Do any of them have any credibility to them? So they’re trying to limit what the public gets as information.”
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Lazaro also added that since the state is seeking the death penalty in Robinson’s case, the trial could have two phases if he is convicted – first to determine the verdict, second to reach a sentencing decision.
“It’s going to be difficult to seat the jury,” Lazaro told Fox News Digital. “It always is in cases like this, because it’s hard to find people who don’t know about it, haven’t read about it or haven’t seen it on the news – and also, this is a polarizing case.”
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Adam Sabes and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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