PROVO, Utah — Judge Tony Graf will allow Tyler Robinson to appear in court in civilian clothing, but he will be shackled.
His lawyers had argued it was necessary to avoid negative pre-trial publicity. However, Robinson will remain shackled because of security concerns.
"The case has attracted extraordinary public and media attention. Images of Mr. Robinson in jail clothing are likely to circulate widely and influence prospective jurors," Judge Graf said, reading from his ruling on Monday.
Robinson is accused of assassinating conservative political influencer Charlie Kirk during an appearance at Utah Valley University in September. Judge Graf said Robinson's presumption of innocence outweighed any inconvenience the sheriff's office might have with the request. But he rejected a defense request to have Robinson be in court unshackled.
"The charges he faces are extraordinarily serious, carrying the potential penalties of life imprisonment or death. The safety of Mr. Robinson, the attorneys, court staff and the public must remain the court’s highest priority," he said.
However, Judge Graf amended a decorum order governing news media coverage of the case to prohibit any filming of Robinson entering or exiting the courtroom and any images of his restraints. The judge would not rule on a request to ban cameras from the courtroom and to hold non-evidentiary hearings virtually. Instead, he ordered further briefing to justify why it should, or should not be allowed.
Watch below as judge announces rulings in Robinson case:
Robinson's criminal defense attorneys had asked the judge to allow him to appear in regular clothing and also requested a ban on cameras in the courtroom. They have argued that the pre-trial publicity is significant, including AI generated images based off of the single appearance he has made where he was shown on a video screen from the Utah County Jail.
On Monday, Robinson did not appear on any screens during the court hearing. Instead, he only replied to the judge that he could hear the proceedings from a video feed provided to the Utah County Jail.
