Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, will be able to wear civilian clothes to court, a judge ruled on Monday.
Robinson will be allowed to ditch his prison garb when he appears in court, but he will have to stay shackled. Utah Judge Tony Graf ruled that the 22-year-old accused assassin must remain in chains for the safety of others in the courtroom, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The defendant’s attorneys had asked the judge’s permission for Robinson to wear civilian clothing and appear unshackled in court, arguing that appearing like a prisoner would bias a jury’s perception. The defense team made special mention of the amount of attention the case has received.
The judge appeared swayed by the defense team’s argument, though Graf’s sympathy was limited. The judge said that the request to appear in civilian clothes would cause only “minimal inconvenience” to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office when compared to Robinson’s interest in a fair trial.
“The case has attracted extraordinary public and media attention,” said Graf, according to the New York Post. “Images of Mr. Robinson in jail clothing are likely to circulate widely and influence prospective jurors. Given the scale of that publicity, the risk of prejudice is significant.”
“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,” the judge added.
During Monday’s hearing, Graf was also asked to consider banning cameras from the courtroom. The judge put off the issue, but added that if prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed, they could file a joint request later to have cameras banned.
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Robinson is expected to appear in court again on January 16. His next court appearance had been scheduled for Thursday, but his legal team joined prosecutors in requesting that the court date be “vacated.”
The request by Robinson’s attorneys over the presentation of their client echoes a request made by the attorneys of accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione. Over the summer, Mangione’s legal team asked the judge in his case to allow the suspect to appear in court without handcuffs or a bulletproof vest.
At his most recent court appearance, Mangione appeared in prison clothes and handcuffs, though he was not wearing a bulletproof vest, according to the Post.
Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a college event in Utah in September. The Turning Point USA founder was shot in the neck before being rushed to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on October 14, which would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.
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