A courtroom fight is growing over when the murder trial involving accused assassin Tyler Robinson will begin. Robinson’s defense attorneys are asking to push the capital murder trial into the third quarter of 2029, a delay that would place the proceedings roughly four years after Charlie Kirk was murdered.
The defense says the death penalty makes the case unusually demanding and that its lawyers need multiple years to prepare. Their filing anticipates a trial lasting six to seven months, along with “substantial time” for jury selection. The defense also plans to conduct a venue study and could ask for a change of venue, depending on the results.
Erika Kirk’s attorneys are urging the judge to reject that request. They argue that victims in Utah have a right to a speedy resolution and say the proposed schedule is “grossly out of line with comparable cases.” Erika Kirk’s filing asks the court to move the case forward rather than let the calendar wander toward 2029 like it has all the time in the world.
Prosecutors have said they expect to be ready in about a year, and they proposed January 2028 as a possible trial date. The source material also reports that prosecutors said they could be ready in the fall of the following year, while suggesting that proceedings begin after the holidays. Erika Kirk’s attorneys, meanwhile, have argued for a trial in 2027.
Her position was highlighted in a post describing the filing and criticizing the defense request:
Another report said attorneys for Erika Kirk asked the judge to reject the late-2029 proposal, citing Utah victims’ rights and the need for a speedy resolution.
At Friday’s hearing, both sides submitted their preferred timelines. Judge Tony Graf did not set a trial date. He said he needed more time to rule and scheduled the next hearing for November 9, according to the Associated Press report cited in the source material.
Robinson was arrested after turning himself in and entered a plea of not guilty last month. The case is expected to involve months of courtroom proceedings, regardless of which schedule the judge ultimately chooses. Robinson arrived at the Utah courthouse in an armored vehicle, footage of which was shared online ahead of the hearing.
The dispute now comes down to a basic but important question: how much time is necessary for the defense to prepare, and how much delay is too much for the victim’s family and the public? The judge will have to balance those competing demands before setting the case’s next major date. For now, the courtroom calendar remains undecided, and the next hearing is set for November 9.
Source: https://wltreport.com/2026/10/23/erika-kirk-fights-tyler-robinson-defenses-bid-to-delay-murder-trial-until-2029/
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