Judge to hear alleged gag order violation in Charlie Kirk murder case

PROVO, Utah (KIFI) — A judge is set to hear arguments today over whether prosecutors violated a gag order in the case against the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Tyler Robinson faces aggravated murder and other felony charges in connection with Kirk's fatal shooting at Utah Valley University.

Robinson's attorneys filed a motion in April asking the court to hold the Utah County Attorney's Office in contempt, arguing prosecutors improperly commented on the case to the media.

The dispute centers on public statements made after reports surfaced that a ballistics test was unable to conclusively link a bullet recovered in the case to a rifle connected to Robinson.

Defense attorneys argued prosecutors crossed the line by publicly discussing the strength of their case and suggesting Robinson's guilt before the matter is decided by a jury.

In court filings, the defense argued that statements claiming the state has enough evidence to prove Robinson committed the crime are the equivalent of declaring him guilty.

Prosecutors are asking Judge Tony Graf to dismiss the contempt motion.

The Utah County Attorney's Office argues its comments were made in response to media questions and were intended to correct what it described as misleading information about the ballistics report.

According to prosecutors, the defense failed to mention that federal investigators were unable to either identify or exclude the rifle as the source of the bullet.

The prosecution also argues that stating it has sufficient evidence to meet its burden at trial is not the same as declaring Robinson guilty, but rather reflects the basis for pursuing the case.

Judge Graf is expected to hear arguments on the issue before deciding whether the comments violated the gag order and whether the contempt motion should move forward.