“Every day prolongs the suffering.” Charlie Kirk's relatives outraged by the distant trial date

As recalled by The Hill, 31-year-old Charlie Kirk died on September 10 last year during the Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was fatally shot.

Tyler Robinson, then 23, was charged with the activist's murder. It is subject to, among others, charges of murder with particular cruelty and use of a firearm while committing a crime. Robinson pleaded not guilty.

Judge Tony Graf of Utah set the trial to begin in June 2028. The proceedings are to take place in Provo and last 105 days.

"Every Day Without Justice"

Kirk's family found such a distant date unfair. The statement emphasized that the delay deepens the suffering of the murdered person's relatives.

"The decision to postpone the case until June 2028 is deeply disappointing. While nothing will bring back the time we lost with Charlie, each day without justice prolongs our family's suffering and forces us to wait even longer for the perpetrator to be brought to justice," the relatives said in a statement.

Robinson's defense requested that the trial start only in 2029, pointing to the need for additional time to prepare a trial strategy. The prosecutor's office proposed January 2028. Last month, Kirk's widow appealed for the proceedings not to be delayed.

Judge: It's a compromise

Judge Graf assessed that the adopted schedule was an intermediate solution, taking into account the rights of both the activist's widow and the accused.

The purpose of setting this deadline and the adopted timetable for the proceedings is to ensure that the constitutional rights of Ms. Kirk and Mr. Robinson will be respected at every stage. Each party is treated with the dignity and respect due to it, the judge said.

Who was Charlie Kirk?

Charlie Kirk was an American conservative activist, political commentator and co-founder of Turning Point USA, an organization focused on mobilizing young right-wing voters. He was one of Donald Trump's recognizable allies. He hosted programs and podcasts, spoke at political meetings and organized debates with students.

He was murdered during a mass event in his home state. He orphaned two children.