Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Erika Kirk Demands Speedy Trial, Alleges ‘Undue Delay’ In Case Involving Her Husband’s Alleged Assassin

(Screenshot/Fox News)

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk demanded a speedy trial Friday in response to the alleged delay tactics in the case involving her husband’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson.

Kirk’s attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, notified Utah’s Fourth District Court of her move in a Friday court filing that was made public on Monday, which stated that Robinson and his attorneys are unnecessarily prolonging the case. Robinson still has not entered a plea or faced a preliminary hearing, which is a needed step in the court process where prosecutors prove to the judge that they have probable cause to bring the defendant to trial.

“Nobody believed in the importance of the United States Constitution more than Charlie Kirk,” Neiman wrote. “And although the United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants many rights, it does not guarantee them the right to cause undue delay in the criminal justice process. The Defendant in this case is entitled to a fair trial, and he must be given one, but he is not entitled to cause undue delay to the criminal justice process.”

“The Utah Code affords victims of a crime ‘the right to a speedy disposition of the charges free from unwarranted delay caused by or at the behest of the defendant . . . .and to prompt and final conclusion of the case after the disposition or conviction and sentence, including prompt and final conclusion of all collateral attacks on dispositions or criminal judgments,'” the filing continued.

Robinson’s lawyers requested on Friday that the prosecution be disqualified since a child of one of the prosecutors was at the campus event where Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot. Utah Fourth District Judge Tony Graf, who is overseeing the case, told the team that the motion should have been filed earlier to make the best use of everyone’s time.

Kirk’s right to demand a speedy trial is ensured under Utah Code § 77-38-7(2), which grants victims the right to a speedy resolution in criminal cases. She has previously called for Robinson’s trial to be made accessible to the public in order to ensure transparency.

Robinson is accused of climbing on top of a roof near Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 and fatally shooting Kirk’s late husband in the neck. After a two-day manhunt, Robinson turned himself into authorities after he confessed to his parents and a youth pastor, who then urged him to turn himself over to the police.

Robinson is charged with one count of aggravated murder, one count of felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice for hiding the rifle and discarding his clothing, two counts of witness tampering for instructing a roommate to delete texts and one count of committing a violent offense in front of children. Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray confirmed in September that prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.

The alleged assassin also confessed to his trans-identifying boyfriend, Lance Twiggs, in a text message, stating that he could not tolerate Kirk’s alleged “hatred.”