A judge ruled Monday that the 22-year-old Utah man charged in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk will be allowed to wear regular clothes at all pretrial hearings but must be physically restrained due to security concerns.
Attorneys for Tyler Robinson argued that images of him shackled and in jail clothing would spread widely in a case with extensive press coverage and public interest, which they said could prejudice future potential jurors.
Judge Tony Graf approved limited measures to protect Robinson’s presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn “extraordinary” public and media attention.
“Mr. Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent,” Graf said during a virtual court hearing on Monday.
Kirk, who was 31, was assassinated on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem as he addressed a large crowd at an outdoor debate.
Robinson was charged last month with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray has said they will plan to seek the death penalty.
While Robinson has no prior criminal history, Judge Graf said Monday that the charges he faces are extremely serious and present safety concerns in the courtroom. It’s the court’s highest priority to protect the attorneys, court staff and Robinson himself during what could be emotional hearings, Graf said before denying Robinson’s request to appear without restraints. He did, however, prohibit members of the media from photographing or filming Robinson’s restraints.
Robinson was arrested on Sept. 12 when he showed up with his parents to turn himself in at his hometown sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from Orem. He is being held at the Utah County Jail without bail and hasn’t yet entered a plea.
As law enforcement agencies were scouring the state for the shooter last month, Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said he received a phone call from a retired deputy saying he knew who killed Kirk.
“He said, ‘Hey, I know who Charlie Kirk’s shooter is. I know the family through religious association and he’s in Washington County now, and we’re working on trying to get him to come in voluntarily,’” Brooksby said at the time.
“He didn’t want a big SWAT team hitting his parents’ house or his apartment. He was truly fearful of being shot by law enforcement,” Brooksby said. “So the conditions were as relaxed and comfortable and almost to the point of inviting. And if at the end of the day we accomplish him surrendering peacefully on his own, I’m going to make some concessions to make that happen.”
Two federal law enforcement sources previously confirmed to CBS News that Robinson’s father saw the photos released by authorities and confronted his son. Robinson admitted to being the person in the photos and said he would rather die by suicide than turn himself in, prompting his father to call a youth pastor close to the family, the sources said.
Authorities said Robinson had allegedly confessed to the killing in text exchanges with his roommate. A spokesperson for Discord also previously confirmed to CBS News that Robinson appeared to admit to committing the shooting in messages he had posted to the social media platform.
Judge Graf ordered Robinson to appear on Jan. 16 and Jan. 30, 2026, for his first in-person public hearings. He appeared Monday from jail on a blacked-out screen and spoke only to confirm he was present.
Andres Gutierrez and
contributed to this report.
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