Utah judge rejects defense's motion to disqualify prosecutors in the
Charlie Kirk killing case
[February 25, 2026]
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge on Tuesday declined to disqualify the
local county attorney’s office from prosecuting the accused shooter in
Charlie Kirk's killing after the defense argued there was a conflict of
interest because a prosecutor's daughter was present when Kirk was shot.
Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson, 22,
who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the
conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Robinson’s attorneys urged the judge to remove the Utah County
Attorney’s Office because they allowed a deputy county attorney to work
on the case despite knowing that his adult daughter was in the audience
when Kirk was shot.
The defense also argued in court documents that prosecutors were quick
to announce their intent to seek the death penalty, which they said was
evidence of “strong emotional reactions” that merited disqualifying the
entire team.
State District Judge Tony Graf ruled Tuesday that there is “not a
significant risk” that Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander's
loyalty to his daughter will affect his work or interfere with
Robinson's rights.
“Prosecutors need not be immune to the emotional response of others to
prosecute a case,” Graf said.
An estimated 3,000 people were at the outdoor rally to hear Kirk when he
was struck while taking questions. A co-founder of Turning Point USA,
Kirk helped mobilize young people to vote for President Donald Trump.
Grunander’s daughter, whose identity has not been disclosed to news
media covering the case, testified in court that she did not record
video of the shooting or the aftermath. She was looking at the crowd and
did not learn until after she ran to safety that it was Kirk who had
been shot, she told the court earlier this month.
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray testified this month that he thought
about seeking the death penalty before an arrest had been made in the
case, and his colleague’s daughter in no way influenced the decision.
Graf found that the daughter's presence did not factor into Gray's
decision.
Messages seeking comment were left Tuesday for attorneys with the
defense and prosecution.
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Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander appears on the witness
stand during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of
fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in 4th District
Court, Feb. 3, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake
Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
The director of a state council that trains prosecutors said Graf’s
ruling was appropriate given the circumstances.
“Chad Grunander’s daughter is not going to be a witness. She didn’t
actually see Mr. Kirk killed. She was facing away,” Utah Prosecution
Council Director Robert Church said.
The judge has been weighing other issues of fairness for Robinson,
should he go to trial.
Full video recordings of Kirk’s shooting have not been shown in
court after defense attorneys objected out of concern that the
footage would undermine Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
Defense attorneys also seek to keep TV cameras and photographers out
of the courtroom, arguing that “highly biased” news outlets risk
tainting the case. Prosecutors, attorneys for news organizations and
Kirk’s widow have urged Graf to keep the proceedings open.
The defense request to exclude cameras was classified by the court
as private and has not been released.
On Monday, Graf granted a request from a coalition of news
organizations including The Associated Press to allow attorneys for
the media to view defense requests to classify documents in the
case. Graf said without access to those motions, media attorneys
could not meaningfully argue against closing parts of the case from
public view.
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Associated Press writers Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado; and
Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed.
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