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Prosecutors in Charlie Kirk murder case held in contempt for public comments
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- A Utah judge held prosecutors in contempt for violating court restrictions by making public comments about defendant Tyler Robinson in the Charlie Kirk murder case, but denied a request to remove the death penalty as a sanction.
- Judge Tony Graf ruled that the issue could be addressed through juror screening to prevent bias, rather than imposing harsher penalties on the prosecution.
- Prosecutors had publicly discussed ballistics evidence and claimed to have ample proof against Robinson, which the judge said risked prejudicing the jury pool despite the initial ballistics tests being inconclusive.
- Defense attorneys accused prosecutors of attempting to influence potential jurors through media statements, amid concerns that misinformation and conspiracy theories could affect the fairness of the trial.
- Robinson, charged with aggravated murder for Kirk’s September 10 assassination, has not yet entered a plea; authorities cite DNA evidence linking him to the murder weapon.
