On Tuesday, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old, was charged with capital murder in connection with the alleged assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The announcement of the charges is scheduled for 2 PM, just three hours prior to his first virtual court appearance at 5 PM, according to prosecutors.
Robinson, who has expressed extreme leftist views online and appears to have radicalized in recent years, is accused of the murder, with discussions involving students at Utah Valley University surfacing last Wednesday.
Notably, former President Trump and Utah Governor Spencer Cox are both advocating for the death penalty for Kirk’s alleged killer.
Utah, part of a small group of 27 states that still permit capital punishment, allows execution by firing squad if lethal injection cannot be administered.
The last use of the firing squad in Utah occurred in June 2010, involving convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner.
In Gardner’s execution, five law enforcement volunteers were stationed behind a wall, each aiming at a target placed over Gardner’s chest, with four live rounds and one dummy round fired.
According to a report, a journalist present during the execution provided insights into the incident at the Utah State Prison.
However, it’s worth noting that executions are quite rare in Utah, with only two carried out in the past two decades. Inmates on death row typically spend around 34 years before facing execution.
Capital punishment is reserved for cases deemed “advanced murder” or where there is a “significant risk of death” to individuals aside from the victim or the defendant.
If Robinson ends up being charged with aggravated murder, state prosecutors will have a mere 60 days to inform the court and the defense about their plans to pursue this capital felony.
This scenario would kick off a lengthy legal process involving both Robinson’s guilt and a two-part trial to evaluate if he qualifies for the death penalty.
If the aggravated murder charge doesn’t hold, the case will proceed under a “first-degree non-capital” charge.
