Tyler Robinson made his second court appearance in the killing of Charlie Kirk on Monday, but the case will remain stalled for another month as his lawyers examine the evidence against him.
Robinson, 22, appeared only by video at the hearing. He is expected to appear in person at the next hearing, which was scheduled for Oct. 30 at 10 a.m.
Under Utah law, felony defendants are entitled to a preliminary hearing, in which prosecutors lay out the evidence and the judge decides if there is probable cause for a trial.
Preliminary hearings, like grand jury proceedings elsewhere, almost always lead to trials because the burden of proof is lower. As such, defendants in Utah are also allowed to waive the hearings and fast-forward to an arraignment.
Robinson and his lawyers were scheduled to make a waiver decision on Monday, but the attorneys instead asked for more time to examine the evidence in the case. Prosecutors described the amount of evidence as “voluminous.” The hearing next month will be another waiver hearing.
Kirk, 31, was speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 when he was shot and killed in front of hundreds of on-lookers. Robinson surrendered to police the following night at the insistence of family members and was charged with aggravated murder.
Evidence against Robinson includes DNA found on the rifle used to kill Kirk, text messages he sent shortly afterward to a roommate and a note he left behind in his apartment, according to investigators.
Because of the spotlight on the shooting, the significant amount of evidence and the decision by prosecutors to seek the death penalty, the case is likely to move deliberately through the justice system.
At Robinson’s first court hearing on Sept. 16, he heard the charges against him while appearing by video. At that time, no lawyers had been appointed to defend him, so the hearing was similarly brief.
