Erika Kirk, the widow of slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, is demanding a speedy trial in the case against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating her husband during a campus event at Utah Valley University last fall.
In a new court filing released over the weekend, Kirk’s attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, formally invoked her rights under Utah law as a crime victim to seek a prompt resolution to the case — a move that signals growing frustration over what her legal team calls “unwarranted delay” from the defense.
“The Utah Code affords victims of a crime ‘the right to a speedy disposition of the charges free from unwarranted delay caused by or at the behest of the defendant,’” Neiman wrote. “This Court is tasked with the critically important function of ensuring the Defendant has a fair trial, but this Court must also do so while balancing Mrs. Kirk’s right to a speedy trial, and therefore this Notice invokes Mrs. Kirk’s rights under applicable Utah Code.”
Neiman’s filing directly referenced Kirk’s belief in constitutional principles, turning his own advocacy for the rule of law into a moral argument for timely justice.
“Nobody believed in the importance of the United States Constitution more than Charlie Kirk,” Neiman wrote. “And although the United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants many rights, it does not guarantee them the right to cause undue delay in the criminal justice process.”
Robinson is accused of fatally shooting Kirk during a Turning Point USA event on the UVU campus in September. The conservative commentator and activist was speaking with attendees in a campus courtyard when, according to prosecutors, a sniper’s bullet struck him in the neck. The sudden gunfire sent thousands fleeing in panic, and Kirk was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Despite prosecutors saying last week that about 90 percent of discovery has been completed, Robinson has yet to enter a plea or face a preliminary hearing — the critical stage where a judge determines whether prosecutors have probable cause to proceed to trial.
Legal experts say that under Utah law, victims have the right to request a speedy disposition of charges, even though the U.S. Constitution typically guarantees that right to defendants.
“Utah is one of the few states that allows victims to invoke their own version of a speedy trial,” said Donna Rotunno, a Chicago-based defense attorney and Fox News contributor. “I don’t really think this applies, but it is a very good strategic move to put the judge on notice that everyone is watching.”
The filing coincides with growing public scrutiny over delays in the high-profile case. Robinson, who has been held without bond, appeared in court last week as his defense team argued to disqualify the Utah County Attorney’s Office over an alleged conflict of interest.
The defense claimed that because the adult daughter of a deputy county attorney was in the audience during Kirk’s speech, prosecutors should be barred from trying the case. Prosecutors have dismissed the argument as “frivolous,” saying the deputy had no role in the investigation or prosecution.
Under federal law, defendants are guaranteed a right to a “speedy and public trial” under the Sixth Amendment, but that right can be waived by the defense in complex cases. Utah’s Victims’ Rights Amendment provides a separate mechanism for victims or their representatives to ask courts to expedite proceedings when delays become excessive.
Robinson’s defense has argued that the complexity of the case — including ballistics evidence, expert testimony, and questions of premeditation — requires additional preparation time. But the Kirk family and their attorneys say every delay adds to the trauma of reliving the assassination.
“This is a widow asking for justice to move forward,” Rotunno said. “It’s as much symbolic as it is procedural.”
Robinson is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 3 for the continuation of a hearing on the defense’s motion to disqualify the prosecution.
If convicted, Robinson faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.
