Utah judge holds prosecutor in contempt while retaining death penalty option in Charlie Kirk murder case
A Utah judge found a prosecutor in civil contempt for breaching a pretrial publicity order but declined to eliminate the death penalty as a possible sentence for the suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting.
A Utah judge on Friday held prosecutor Christopher Ballard in civil contempt after he discussed an inconclusive ballistics report and the strength of the state’s case with media outlets, violating a pretrial publicity order. The judge said the statements had a substantial likelihood of prejudicing the proceedings by conveying the prosecutor’s assessment of the defendant’s guilt.
"Those additional public statements possessed a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing the proceedings by communicating the prosecutor’s assessment of the defendant’s guilt," Judge Tony Graf said.
Despite the contempt finding, Judge Graf declined the defense’s request to bar the state from seeking the death penalty if the defendant, Tyler Robinson, is convicted. He indicated that additional measures during jury selection could be used to mitigate any impact from the prosecutor’s comments, and ordered that the defense be allowed to recover legal fees incurred in the contempt proceedings.
Robinson faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, for the September shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus. He has not yet entered a plea. The ruling follows earlier delays in decisions on evidentiary matters and a subpoena dispute, as both sides submitted further briefing after a June 12 hearing.
