Judge denies motion to disqualify Utah County prosecutors in Charlie Kirk case

PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — A Utah judge has declined to disqualify prosecutors from the Utah County Attorney’s Office in the murder case against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of killing Charlie Kirk.

Judge Tony Graf Jr. determined that there was no conflict of interest after the defense pointed out that the daughter of one of the prosecutors, Chad Grunander, had attended the college event where Kirk was shot and killed.

The decision shut down the argument from Robinson’s attorneys that prosecutors were quick to announce their intent to seek the death penalty, which they claimed was evidence of a “strong emotional reaction.”

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Graf ruled that the court was unpersuaded that the prosecutor’s relationship to his daughter and her attendance at the event swayed his decision to seek the death penalty against Robinson.

“Even if Mr. Grunander considered the impact on his daughter when deciding to seek death, the defendant has not shown that the impact of the crime on victims, witnessess or even prosecutors themselves is an unconstitutional consideration when deciding to seek the death penalty,” Judge Graf said.

The court is still weighing several other motions in the case, including whether or not media cameras would be allowed in the courtroom as the case moves forward.

Robinson’s next hearing was scheduled for Friday, March 13, with another hearing scheduled for Friday, April 17.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.