Utah Judge Tony Graf Holds Prosecutor Christopher Ballard in Contempt Over Tyler Robinson Guilt Comments

A Utah judge held prosecutors in contempt for comments about defendant Tyler Robinson’s guilt in the Charlie Kirk murder case, with Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf saying the remarks violated restrictions on what the two sides can say outside of court.

“Laurent Garrigues Published December 30, 2025 at 8:19 PM • Updated December 31, 2025 at 10:21 AM A Utah judge ordered, Monday, the publication of the full transcript of a closed-door hearing in the proceedings against Tyler Robinson, the man charged in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk”

20 Minutes

Graf denied a defense request to take the death penalty off the table as a sanction, saying the problem could instead be resolved through the screening and questioning process for potential jurors.

20 Minutes

Robinson, a 23-year-old from southwestern Utah, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, who was shot in the neck while addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University.

Defense attorneys accused Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard of trying to influence potential jurors by going on a “media tour” to talk about ballistics evidence, after initial tests did not match the bullet fragment with a gun investigators believe was used to kill Kirk.

Graf said the comments about the bullet did not violate the court’s rules, but that Ballard went too far when he said prosecutors had “ample evidence to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Tyler Robinson committed this murder.”

Graf ruled that Ballard’s public statements created a “substantial likelihood” of prejudicing the case, even as the judge said the comments were not made out of any malicious desire to taint the jury pool.

In a separate framing of the same dispute, the Guardian reported that Graf found Ballard’s statements had a “substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing the proceedings by communicating the prosecutor’s assessment of the defendant’s guilt.”

ABC News

The defense argued that a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did not prove the bullet that killed Kirk came from a firearm believed to belong to Robinson, and the claims gained traction online as potentially exculpatory.

Ballard told TMZ that the state had “ample evidence” to demonstrate Robinson committed the alleged crime, and he also told Politifact that when bullet fragment analysis comes back “inconclusive,” it does not mean the rifle did not fire the bullet.

The court said it would consider expanding the pool of potential jurors and additional jury questionnaires, and a preliminary hearing in Robinson’s case is scheduled for 6 July.

Despite the contempt finding, Graf kept the death penalty option available, rejecting the defense’s request to bar prosecutors from seeking it and calling the proposed remedy “grossly disproportionate” to Ballard’s misconduct.

“Judge holds prosecutors in Charlie Kirk murder case in contempt for comments about the defendant Judge holds prosecutors in Charlie Kirk murder case in contempt for comments about the defendant The Utah judge in the murder case over Charlie Kirk’s killing held prosecutors in contempt of court on Friday over comments they made to media organizations about defendant Tyler Robinson”

Associated Press

USA Today quoted Graf saying, “The court finds that striking the death penalty is grossly disproportionate to the misconduct and legally unavailable in this civil contempt framework,” while also noting the judge said Robinson would be compensated for attorney’s fees and other costs related to the contempt proceedings.

The dispute centered on a bullet-fragment ballistic test described in defense filings and media coverage, including the ATF report that said the bullet fragment “could not be identified _or excluded” as having been fired from the rifle authorities say was used.

CNN reported that Graf ordered measures to prevent Ballard’s comments from tainting potential jurors, and that the defense would be allowed to recoup legal fees related to the contempt proceedings.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea, and the case timeline includes a preliminary hearing set to begin on July 6, where the court will decide if there is enough evidence to move the case forward.