A Utah judge is set to rule on a defense motion to find prosecutors in contempt of court in the case against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The defense argues that comments made by prosecutors to the media violated a pretrial publicity order.

Background

Robinson faces charges including aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering in the September shooting death of Kirk. The defense has raised concerns about news coverage of the high-profile case potentially harming their client’s right to a fair trial.

The judge’s order, issued in September and amended in December, prohibits the parties from making public comments about the case except under certain circumstances. The defense claims that prosecutors violated this order by commenting on the case to the media, and is seeking to have the death penalty removed as a possible punishment if contempt is found.

Prosecutors’ Response

Prosecutors have filed an objection to the contempt motion, calling it ‘grossly disproportionate to the alleged misconduct.’ They argue that their comments to the media were intended to clarify misinformation and did not violate the court’s order.

The judge will also rule on whether prosecutors will be allowed to present hearsay evidence during Robinson’s preliminary hearing, scheduled to begin next month. The defense has argued that a video deposition of a key witness should not be admissible, as the witness could not be subject to cross-examination.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.