A judge overseeing the trial of the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk rejected on Monday an effort by the defense to restrict the public from a hearing that would lay out much of the evidence in the case.
It was the latest attempt by lawyers for the defendant, Tyler J. Robinson, to limit public access to one of the country’s most highly scrutinized murder cases.
Mr. Robinson, 23, is accused of fatally shooting Mr. Kirk, the conservative activist, at a speaking event last September at a Utah college, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Mr. Robinson has yet to enter a plea.
Mr. Robinson’s defense has sought to close other hearings in the Utah trial, keep motions and evidence under seal and restrict news coverage of the case, arguing that the intense media attention will lead to negative publicity, prejudicing potential jurors and denying Mr. Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
His lawyers asked the district judge in the case, Tony Graf, to close portions of a preliminary hearing scheduled for July. The hearing is expected to unfold like a mini-trial, with the prosecution presenting evidence against Mr. Robinson to show a judge there is probable cause to go to trial.
On Monday, Judge Graf said Mr. Robinson’s lawyers failed to demonstrate that their concerns about negative publicity outweighed the public’s right to an open judicial process.
The judge also pointed out that law enforcement officials had already publicly released reams of information about Mr. Robinson and Mr. Kirk’s killing, and that the defense would be able to ask potential jurors about their exposure to news coverage once the case goes to trial.
The authorities have released surveillance images of Mr. Robinson captured near the scene of the shooting at Utah Valley University; a timeline of his travels back and forth between his home in southern Utah and the scene; and a summary of text messages in which Mr. Robinson confesses to his roommate and romantic partner, saying he killed Mr. Kirk because “I had enough of his hatred.”
Some eight months after Mr. Kirk’s assassination, it is unclear when the case against Mr. Robinson will actually go to trial.
This week, the defense asked the court to stop the proceedings altogether while it appealed Judge Graf’s ruling that allowed news cameras in the courtroom.
The New York Times and several other media organizations opposed the defense’s effort to ban news cameras, saying that the public and media had a right to transparency. News cameras are generally allowed in Utah courtrooms.
Jack Healy is based in Colorado and covers the west and southwest for The Times.
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