Tyler Robinson's defense in trouble; Charlie Kirk shooter would need a ‘bold and brave’ lawyer
Tyler Robinson was declared indigent during his first pretrial hearing after the Charlie Kirk shooting last week.
Tyler Robinson was declared indigent during his first pretrial hearing after the Charlie Kirk shooting last week. A defense attorney who made an appearance on behalf of the 22-year-old suspect said that the county is working to get counsel assigned to him. In Utah, certain qualifications are required for an attorney to handle a homicide case. According to the declaration filed, Robinson is indigent.
The trial will begin on September 29, the judge announced.
“I hope there will be a lawyer brave enough, bold enough, and competent enough to provide this man an adequate defense, whether he's guilty or innocent,” Alan Dershowitz, Professor at Harvard Law School, told Newsmax.
What does indigent mean?
This legal term, rooted in the Latin "indigens" (meaning "needy"), refers to an individual who lacks sufficient financial resources to afford legal representation or other court-related costs. In Robinson’s case, a defense attorney noted that Utah County is working to assign counsel, reflecting his inability to hire a private lawyer due to financial hardship.
Tyler Robinson charges
Earlier in the day, prosecutors announced that they are bringing a murder charge against Robinson, further demanding the death penalty. As evidence, they presented text messages from the suspect to his roommate and partner.
Officials stated that the DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson.
Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, who was shot on September 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University.
Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.
Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him.
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
