In a closed-door hearing for the Utah man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, attorneys in October grappled with how to deal with the intense attention the case has garnered — and how to limit it so the 22-year-old has a chance at a fair trial, a newly released transcript reveals.
One attorney for Tyler Robinson suggested that 4th District Judge Tony Graf could ban all cameras from the courtroom. A prosecutor went further, suggesting the judge could order journalists not to describe what Robinson looked like in court.
His defense team wanted him to be able to wear his own clothes, unshackled. Prosecutors worried that would make it harder for authorities to identify him if there was any kind of courtroom threat.
The roughly 80-page transcript of the two-hour long hearing was released Monday afternoon after Graf ruled that it should be made public — with light redactions (amounting to about a page, or 246 words) aimed at protecting courthouse security.
He also ordered that a redacted audio recording of the hearing should be released within two weeks.
The October hearing centered around arguments about how Robinson could appear in court. Graf has since ruled that Robinson does not have to wear jail clothes but needs to remain restrained.
The judge has not attempted to limit what journalists can write about the case, but he has enacted strict orders instructing photojournalists not to capture images or video of the restraints Robinson wears at court hearings.
[Read more: Here’s the full transcript of a closed-door court hearing for Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk’s accused killer]
In the October hearing, defense attorney Richard Novak noted that prosecutors cited “unstable people coming to the courthouse” and “conspiracy theorists saying things online” as to why they disagreed with Robinson’s requested appearance.
But that intense public interest, Novak asserted, shouldn’t carry weight in the judge’s decision.
“I don’t know what the Court has read. It’s none of my business. I’ve received some wacky phone calls and emails, people telling me what they think happened here. It’s noise,” Novak said. “We’re not litigating this case in the press.”
Novak also expressed concern about the “nature, content, scope [and] pervasiveness” of statements that have already been made by law enforcement and state leaders in this case — including the unusual decision to release Robinson’s booking photo. (Such photos are typically considered private under Utah law.)
Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard noted during the October hearing that the Utah County Sheriff’s Office did not release that photo of Robinson, adding that “in fact, when that was made public, the sheriff’s office was very concerned that it had been made public.”
Instead, Gov. Spencer Cox’s office disseminated the image Sept. 12, the morning the 22-year-old was first booked into Utah County jail. Its release came after a news conference in which Cox and FBI Director Kash Patel, along with other law enforcement leaders, announced Robinson’s arrest.
Cox’s office told KSL in September that even if a booking photo is considered a “protected” record under the state’s open record laws, a government agency can release the photo if it determines “there is no interest in restricting access to the record,” or if “the interests favoring access are greater than or equal to the interest favoring restriction of access.”
The release of the October transcript came after a coalition of media organizations led by The Salt Lake Tribune intervened in Robinson’s case and asked for more transparency.
Graf said during a hearing Monday that he weighed the public’s interest with privacy concerns and safety measures when ruling which portions should be made public.
“This case generates extraordinary, ongoing national and international attention,” he said, “some of which is threatening in nature to the parties, the representatives and nonparty participants. The safety and well-being of all involved in this matter outweighs the interests of the public that are served by open court records.”
It’s expected that the debate over the media’s access in Robinson’s case will continue: Defense attorneys have indicated that they expect to make another effort to ban cameras from the courtroom.
While that topic was briefly discussed in October, no formal motion was made, and the judge said in a later hearing that he wouldn’t consider it until the defense filed their arguments in court papers.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in 4th District Court in Provo, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
Graf on Monday also ruled that prosecutors and defense attorneys must notify media outlets when asking to make any records or court hearings private — but the judge stopped short of allowing the media to become an official party in the case.
That means journalists don’t need to be notified if someone files a request to limit cameras or other electronic media in the courtroom, as defense attorneys have indicated they plan to do.
Robinson is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s Sept. 10 death. Prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
Robinson is expected to be in court again next month for a hearing where defense attorneys are expected to argue whether the Utah County attorney’s office can continue prosecuting the case.
In a motion filed earlier this month, they wrote that a key prosecutor’s family member was at the Utah Valley University campus event where Kirk was killed. They argue that creates a conflict of interest that should preclude the entire Utah County attorney’s office from handling the criminal case.