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Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspected assassin accused of shooting Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a campus appearance at Utah Valley University last month, will no longer show his face in a Provo courthouse at a planned in-person hearing later this week.
Robinson returned to court Monday for a virtual appearance where he spoke only briefly, off-camera, as the judge ruled on a motion to allow him to wear normal clothes in court going forward.
Judge Tony Graf granted Robinson’s motion to appear in street clothes going forward but denied his motion to appear without restraints. He did not make a decision on a motion from the prosecution to have all non-evidentiary hearings held remotely going forward, and he told the sides they could submit a new motion seeking to have news cameras limited in the courtroom.
He also explained that the now-canceled Oct. 30 hearing was pushed back because lawyers needed more time for discovery and to brief their motions.
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Robinson’s lawyers will have to provide jail officials with street clothing 72 hours prior to any upcoming hearings, the judge said.
“The court finds that Mr. Robinson’s right to the presumption of innocence outweighs the minimal inconvenience of permitting civilian attire,” Graf said during the 20-minute hearing. However, he said, due to safety concerns and the seriousness of the charges against him, the defendant should still wear minimal restraints in court.
Robinson spoke only briefly during the appearance, in which he appeared remotely from jail and did not show his face.
When the judge asked if he could hear the proceedings, Robinson replied, “Yes, I can.”
In Utah, preliminary hearings can be delayed for months in cases involving serious felonies, sometimes up to a year, Skye Lazaro, a Salt Lake City-based defense attorney, told Fox News Digital earlier this month.
The hearing gives the defense a chance to cross-examine witnesses and force prosecutors to show evidence in court that establishes probable cause to bring charges in the alleged crime.
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Robinson faces a top charge of aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty.
He is accused of climbing onto a campus rooftop with his grandfather’s Mauser .30-06 and shooting Kirk once in the neck.
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Authorities have previously alleged that they found the suspected murder weapon with his DNA on it and incriminating text messages in which he allegedly admitted to the crime to friends and family.
They also have video from the campus security system that allegedly shows him coming and going before and after the slaying. Additional evidence against him is expected to emerge at the preliminary hearing, once it is held.
Robinson is due back in court on Jan. 16, 2026, and again on Jan. 30. Both hearings are scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.
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