Nov 9 (Reuters) - A Utah judge on Monday set a June 2028 trial date for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last year.
Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts, including aggravated murder, in the shooting of Kirk as the conservative held one of his trademark debates at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf set jury selection for the trial for June 21, 2028, after Robinson's attorneys requested a late 2029 date to give them time to challenge Utah's request for the death penalty, gather additional evidence and seek a change of venue. Robinson's lawyers expect a six-to-seven-month trial.
Prosecutors had sought a date of January 31, 2028 to start what they expect to be a 17-week trial for the shooting death of Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump.
In a separate filing, Erika Kirk, Kirk's widow requested the trial to start in 2027 to speed what she described as a painful legal process.
Trump last month slammed Graf's handling of the case, saying the trial should start within a month and the judge was asking "questions that people already know the answer to."
Kirk was a polarizing figure in US politics. He was admired by conservatives for mobilizing young voters around his Christian and right-wing views. Civil rights advocates criticized Kirk for rhetoric they called racist, anti-immigrant, transphobic, and misogynist, citing his public remarks denigrating Black Americans, LGBTQ communities, Muslims and immigrants.
Prosecutors allege Robinson targeted Kirk for his opposition to gay marriage and transgender rights. Defense attorney Richard Novak has said in court that Kirk spoke "hatefully" about people who did not have traditional gender identities or were not heterosexual, but Robinson's defense say there was no evidence Robinson opposed those views.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico and Brad Brooks in Colorado; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
