Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin allowed to wear street clothes at trial

Tyler Robinson was charged with fatally shooting Charlie Kirk during a public event at a Utah university campus on Sept 10. (EPA Images pic)
LOS ANGELES: A Utah judge on Monday ruled that the 22-year-old alleged killer of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk may wear street clothes during his trial, instead of prison attire, over concerns of biasing the jury.
Tyler Robinson has been charged with fatally shooting Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, during a public event at a Utah university campus on September 10.
He faces the death penalty if convicted.
Robinson’s lawyers argued that appearing in a prison uniform throughout such a high-profile case would influence potential jurors, who would likely see images of him in the media.
“Mr Robinson’s right to the presumption of innocence outweighs the minimal inconvenience of permitting civilian attire and Mr Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent,” said the presiding judge, Tony Graf.
However, given the seriousness of the charges against Robinson, the judge refused to allow him to appear in court without handcuffs.
He will be restrained during his court appearances, but the press will not be allowed to broadcast photos or videos of him in handcuffs, Graf said.
On Monday, Robinson attended the hearing via videoconference from his jail cell.
Robinson is accused of firing a single bullet from a rooftop, fatally hitting 31-year-old Kirk in the neck in front of thousands of people, in an episode that has deepened political divisions in an already polarised country.
The most serious charge against Robinson is aggravated murder, while others include obstruction of justice and witness tampering, allegedly for ordering his roommate to stay silent.
Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points, including strong criticism of the transgender rights movement.
According to court documents, Robinson sent messages to his roommate – who is reportedly transgender – after the shooting in which he said he had “enough of his (Kirk’s) hatred.”