Not guilty: The man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk faces possible death penalty in Utah

Tyler Robinson says not guilty—but Utah judge has cleared the path to execution

The man accused of killing prominent conservative commentator Charlie Kirk has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and six other charges in a Utah courtroom, as a judge formally cleared the path for a capital punishment trial, according to BBC News.

Tyler Robinson entered his not guilty plea during a hearing in which the judge ruled that prosecutors could pursue the death penalty—making the case one of the most closely watched capital trials in the United States in recent years. Aggravated murder is a capital offence under Utah law.

Robinson faces a total of seven counts. No trial date has yet been confirmed. The case will now proceed through Utah’s capital trial process — one of the most rigorous and lengthy in the American legal system—with Robinson’s legal team expected to mount a robust defence against both the murder charge and the death penalty specification.