Charlie Kirk Assassination Bombshell: Utah County Attorney's Office Urging Judge to Deny Accused Killer Tyler Robinson's Motion to Disqualify Prosecutor Over Text Messages
Tyler Robinson is charged with the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.
Jan. 13 2026, Published 6:01 p.m. ET
The alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk wants the entire Utah County Attorney's Office disqualified from the high-profile murder case due to an alleged conflict of interest.
But prosecutors are fighting back, RadarOnline.com can report, and are urging a judge to say no.
Robinson's Reasoning
Robinson has made multiple court appearances for hearings before the formal proceedings begin.
Last month, Tyler Robinson's defense team argued their opposition should be excluded because the adult child of one of the prosecutors attended the Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University and was in the audience when Kirk, 31, was shot and killed.
The 22-year-old's lawyers argue the particular prosecutor parent has an "emotional connection" now to the case, and could "motivate" the state to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
But in their official response, filed last week, state lawyers say that is not the case.
"(The attorney) has no personal conflict of interest because his (child) is neither a material witness nor a victim in the case," prosecutors argued.
"In fact, nearly everything (the child) knows about the actual homicide is hearsay. And because Mr. (redacted) has no conflict of interest, the county attorney's office also has no conflict of interest requiring disqualification."
'Confusing' Text Messages
His lawyers say the prosecuting lawyers should be excused due to a conflict of interest after a son was at the rally.
Prosecutors say the 18-year-old was one of "thousands of other witnesses" and never saw the shooting. They pointed toward text messages exchanged between the lawyer father and his teenager in the minutes after the shooting.
In frantic messages, the teen initially texts, "SOMEONE GOT SHOT," before reassuring family members, "I'm okay, everyone is going inside."
Prosecutors argue the texts show the teen was confused and did not know the full story. That discredits the argument, they say, that he had direct involvement that could improperly influence prosecutorial decision-making.
Robinson Laughs in Court
Robinson was seen grinning and chuckling during a previous hearing.
Robinsin has still not yet entered a plea to the murder charges, despite multiple court appearances – both in person and via video.
Last month, he looked disturbingly calm and relaxed as he made his first court appearance and appeared to chuckle with his lawyers as a judge heard arguments about whether to allow media cameras for the trial.
Robinson was surrounded by his pricey legal team as he entered the Provo, Utah, courtroom. The 22-year-old was dressed in a simple blue button-down shirt and a multicolored tie and had restraints on his wrists and ankles.
His family was also in the gallery. His mom was seen wiping away tears in the pews.
Robinson's attorney was there to argue against allowing cameras in future hearings, for fear they could taint a jury.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, has pushed for cameras in the courtroom, in part to cut down on what she has called conspiracy theories about her husband's death.
"We deserve to have cameras in there," she told Fox News. "Why not be transparent?"
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Death Penalty Charge
Kirk's widow, Erika, has argued to allow cameras in the court.
The intention of prosecutors is to seek the death penalty against Robinson, and their case could be made easier after he reportedly confessed to Kirk's murder in a chat message to friends and family.
In a note to his lover, Lance Twiggs, who was transitioning to become a woman, Robinson allegedly wrote: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it."
In the text exchange, when Twiggs asked Robinson why he allegedly shot Kirk, he replied: "I had had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."
