A judge overseeing the criminal case against Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin has permitted the release of the audio and transcripts of a closed hearing.
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf said that the transcript for an October 24 hearing in Tyler Robinson’s case can be made public with redactions by Monday evening, while audio of the hearing may take up to two weeks to be made public.
According to WRAL News, the judge said transparency is “foundational” to the judicial system, appearing to agree with lawyers for media outlets who wrote in recent filings that an open court “safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process.”
Robinson made his first in-person court appearance earlier this month, nearly three months after the death of Kirk. Judge Graf said at the time that cameras would remain permitted, but must avoid showing Robinson’s shackles.
“There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered,” Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, told Fox News. “There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move… We deserve to have cameras in there.”
Robinson faces several charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction, and witness tampering. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. “I am filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said in September. “I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime.”
