BUZZ
Defense argues for banning cameras, microphones in courtroom
A Utah judge agreed to a minor restriction on news media access to Tyler Robinson’s court proceedings Tuesday in response to competing requests from the accused’s lawyers and the widow of slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Robinson, the young man accused of murdering Kirk on a Utah campus last fall, appeared in court for the pre-trial hearing.
Judge Tony Graf granted the defense’s “request to move cameras to the back of the courtroom. Robinson’s lawyers want to prevent close-up images of the accused killer’s face, arguing they could be used to speculate about his reactions in court,” according to CBS News.
His lawyers also have argued for banning cameras and microphones from the trial – a request that widow Erika Kirk opposed in a court filing Monday, Fox News reports.
“As this Court is aware, this matter has received significant public attention,” the court filing states. “… And although it is critical that this Court balance the defendant’s right to a fair trial with the public’s First Amendment right of access to judicial proceedings, any request, by either party, to essentially close these court proceedings from the public eye should be denied.”
Kirk’s lawyers also wrote that transparency in the courtroom will help stop “conspiracy theories and misinformation” from spreading.
“There is no adequate substitute for open proceedings,” the filing states. “Accordingly, Ms. Kirk respectfully urges the Court to deny any unnecessary requests to limit public or media access and to ensure that courtroom proceedings remain open to the fullest extent consistent with the defendant’s right to a fair trial.”
Meanwhile, testimony from a Utah State Bureau of Investigations officer revealed new details about the evidence obtained from Robinson’s house, CNN reports:
[Sgt. David Hull] briefly alluded to a few items uncovered inside Robinson’s home, which investigators have not previously described to the public.
Investigators have said bullet cartridges were found near the crime scene engraved with phrases from internet memes and video games. Hull said Tuesday similar items may have been found in Robinson’s home.
“If I recall, there were some bullet casings that had some inscriptions on. There were some tools that were believed to have been used to make those inscriptions,” he said.
The search also recovered used shooting targets and other unused targets that had been recently purchased, Hull said. Investigators also retrieved Ring camera footage from several neighbors.
Previously, authorities said they found inscriptions on the bullet casings near what they believed to be the murder weapon. They included “notices, bulges OWO what’s this?” “hey fascist catch!” and “if you read this you are gay lmao,” The College Fix reported previously.
Another casing was inscribed with the words “oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao,” according to authorities. Independent journalist Andy Ngo wrote on X that, “The lyrics are to an old Italian protest song now used by Antifa as a theme song.”
The bulk of the hearing Tuesday centered around a request from Robinson’s lawyers to dismiss the entire prosecutorial team and move the case to another location.
The defense argued that prosecutors are biased because a daughter of one of the state’s attorneys was at Utah Valley State University on Sept. 10, 2025 when Charlie Kirk was shot.
The judge plans to issue his decision Feb. 24.
MORE: Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer wants entire prosecutor team dismissed
