Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, cofounder of the conservative Turning Point USA organization, is due back in court. His attorneys are seeking to hold prosecutors in contempt for comments they made in the media about a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk’s body.

Contempt Allegation

Defense attorneys for Robinson have accused prosecutors of going on a “media tour” to discuss expert reports about the bullet. The defense claims those statements violated restrictions imposed by Judge Tony Graf against speaking about the case outside of court.

Prosecutors said they had a right to correct misinformation from Robinson’s attorneys about an inconclusive, preliminary finding by ballistics experts, who could not immediately match the bullet fragments with a gun allegedly used by Robinson. Details about the preliminary finding spurred stories speculating about Robinson’s possible exoneration.

Robinson’s lawyers have tried to guard against media coverage that they say sometimes misrepresents their client, as his case has drawn tremendous public attention. He is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus.

Potential Sanctions

Robinson’s attorneys did not specify what sanctions should be levied against prosecutors if Graf agrees they violated his orders and holds them in contempt. But in court filings, the defense team pointed to another criminal case where prosecutors were accused of contempt and said one potential remedy was to bar the state from seeking the death penalty.

A key hearing in the case is scheduled for next month, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. That would mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case that has so far focused on matters of media access.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.