Defense team in Charlie Kirk murder case wants cameras off in courtroom
發佈日期: 2026-04-18 22:33
TVB News
In the US, a Utah judge is weighing a request from the accused killer of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk to bar live broadcasts and cameras from the courtroom on grounds they violated his right to a fair trial.
The suspect faces the death penalty after allegedly shooting Kirk in the neck in front of thousands at a college rally last September.
Tyler Robinson, the man suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was back in a Utah court Friday afternoon for an evidentiary hearing.
Robinson's defense team continued their push to exclude media cameras from the courtroom, pointing to sometimes sensational and slanted media coverage that they fear could prejudice the jury pool.
Prosecutors and Kirk's widow Erika, however, want cameras allowed. They argued it would be the best way to make the progress transparent and dispel conspiracy theories.
Pool cameras were stationed at the rear of the courtroom behind Robinson in recent hearings and on Friday.
The 23-year-old hasn't entered a plea yet and a trial date has not been set. Authorities say they found DNA consistent with Robinson's on the trigger of the rifle and the fired cartridge casing.
The preliminary hearing was scheduled for mid-May where prosecutors must establish probable cause, or show enough evidence to proceed the trial.
The defense has asked for a four-month delay, saying it had not received DNA data files it needed for expert witnesses.
Robinson's lawyer Richard Novak said: "We can't present any expert testimony on DNA without having the underlying data."
Prosecutors responded that DNA files were not necessary to establish probable cause.
Ryan McBride, Deputy Utah County Attorney, said: "The point is that there is substantial evidence of probable cause, far exceeding what probable cause requires. And it comes from a variety of sources."
McBride said the evidence he plans to present include Robinson's confessions, handwritten note, as well as video surveillance and physical evidence linking him to the shooting.
The judge will rule on whether or not to postpone the preliminary hearing at a later date.
