EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Kirk's Widow Erika Demands Speedy Trial for Accused Assassin Tyler Robinson Amid Claims His Defense Team is 'Using Delaying Tactics'
Erika Kirk has demanded a speedy trial for Tyler Robinson.
Jan. 20 2026, Published 1:18 p.m. ET
Charlie Kirk's grieving widow has blasted attorneys representing his accused killer for "undue delay" after a chaotic court hearing last Friday, RadarOnline.com can report.
Tyler Robinson has still not yet entered a plea or faced a preliminary hearing for the murder, despite sitting in jail on the charges since September.
Erika Kirk Demands Swift Justice
Kirk is still grieving the loss of her husband, Charlie Kirk, allegedly at the hands of Robinson.
While Robinson waits, his state-appointed defense attorneys, who are costing Utah residents some big bucks, blindsided the court on Friday, January 16, by asking for yet another delay to review newly acquired evidence.
Court ended without a ruling Friday, leaving Charlie's wife, Erika, still begging for justice. Later that day, her attorney filed a motion officially requesting a speedy trial.
In his filing, which Radar has obtained, Jeffrey Neiman wrote: "Nobody believed in the importance of the United States Constitution more than Charlie Kirk. 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 Constitution’s Sixth Amendment guarantees defendants the right to a speedy trial, but Utah state law goes one step further, contending victims are also entitled to a speedy trial.
Prosecutors Charged With Having a Conflict of Interest
Erika has taken over Charlie's Turning Point organization
Friday’s hearing was expected to settle a request by the defense that the Utah Valley District Attorney's office be excluded from the case 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 argued the prosecutor in question now has an "emotional connection" to the case, and could "motivate" the state to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
Defense Attorney's Shocking Stay Request
Robinson has yet to enter a plea
However, at a special court hearing on the request Friday, Robinson's lawyers suddenly asked for a stay, after claiming they received new evidence to present.
Judge Tony Graf granted the stay, much to the disapproval of Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray, who blasted: "I just think this is an ambush and another stalling tactic to delay these proceedings. There's no reason that they could have not at least filed a motion and asked for time to brief it.
"Where does it end?"
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Revealing Text Messages
His defense team requested a surprise stay.
Opposing prosecutors contended the 18-year-old was one of "thousands of other witnesses" and never saw the actual shooting. They pointed toward text messages exchanged between the lawyer father and his teenager in the minutes after the gunfire and amid the utter chaos flooding Utah Valley University.
In frantic messages, the teen initially texts, "SOMEONE GOT SHOT," before reassuring family members, "I'm okay, everyone is going inside."
Prosecutors said the texts showed the teen was confused and did not know the full story. That discredited the argument, they said, that he had direct involvement that could improperly influence prosecutorial decision-making.
An official response from the DA's office said: "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."
