Utah News

Utah prosecutors are asking the judge overseeing the case against Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin to reject a defense effort to further postpone a preliminary hearing nearly nine months after the suspect’s arrest.

Lawyers for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson have asked Judge Tony Graf Jr. to push back the routine hearing as they appeal his denial of their motion to ban news cameras from the high-profile case.

“Defendant cannot show that a stay is necessary to prevent additional prejudice from media coverage of his preliminary hearing, when this Court has already found that he failed to show that a public preliminary hearing would prejudice him at all,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard wrote in a court filing Saturday.

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Tyler Robinson appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Dec. 11, 2025. He is accused of the murder of Charlie Kirk. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

Robinson’s attorneys filed an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court and then asked Graf to push back the hearing while they await a response.

“Nor can Defendant show that he is likely to prevail on appeal (assuming one is granted), or that a stay is not adverse to the public interest in the prompt disposition of criminal trials,” Ballard added. “Moreover, there is no need for this Court to stay the proceedings pending disposition of the petition for interlocutory appeal. If the Utah Supreme Court concludes that such a stay is warranted, that court can stay the proceedings.”

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Charlie Kirk spoke at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025, during his “American Comeback Tour.” (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

Robinson was arrested in September 2025 in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.

Much of the evidence prosecutors plan to use has already been revealed publicly, according to Ballard, and Robinson’s defense hasn’t proven a “realistic likelihood of prejudice” if the hearing is open to the public, he added.

The preliminary hearing, an early step in many criminal cases, has not yet been held, and as a result, Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

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Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during his “American Comeback Tour” appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. People ran after shots were fired at the campus event. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

The hearing requires prosecutors to show they had probable cause to arrest the defendant, thereby allowing the case to proceed toward trial.

The hearing was most recently delayed from the week of May 16 to the week of July 6.

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Typically, to be granted a stay in a Utah criminal case, the defense must show a likelihood that their appeal will prevail, a likelihood of “irreparable harm” that outweighs any harm to any other party — and that the stay “is not adverse to the public interest,” according to Ballard’s filing.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event in Utah on Thursday. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Reuters)

CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW ERIKA KIRK DEMANDS SPEEDY TRIAL, ALLEGING ‘UNDUE DELAY’ FROM TYLER ROBINSON DEFENSE

He argued that Robinson’s lawyers haven’t met any of those criteria.

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“Defendant must satisfy all three elements,” he wrote. “He hasn’t satisfied even one. In fact, he ignores this rule.”

Not only do delays hurt the prosecution, Ballard argued, they also hurt Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow and the designated victim’s advocate in the case. She has invoked the victim’s right to a speedy trial under Utah law.

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Attorneys for two groups of media outlets, one of which includes Fox News and Fox News Digital, are also expected to file a response to Robinson’s appeal this week.

In a separate, 51-page filing, Robinson’s defense also asked the judge to block hearsay testimony at the hearing, arguing that Utah laws that permit it are unconstitutional.

Kevin O’Leary’s massive Utah data center proposal is facing a new challenge after a nonprofit and five Utah residents sued over how the project was approved.

According to NBC News, the complaint argues that an unelected body was given broad authority over local land use, taxation, and public health decisions without providing residents a meaningful voice.

The Alliance for a Better Utah and five anonymous Utah residents filed the case Wednesday in Utah’s 3rd District Court, challenging both MIDA’s constitutionality and its role in advancing O’Leary’s planned Stratos Project.

The lawsuit centers on a proposal that originally called for a 40,000-acre AI data center campus in Utah’s Hansel Valley.

The plaintiffs say MIDA, a special entity overseeing the project, has been allowed to wield powers that should belong to elected local government.

Attorney David Irvine, who represents the plaintiffs, said MIDA would have “permanent, irrevocable control over public health, safety, taxation, and land use” across a large portion of the county “with no voter recourse.”

The suit also names Adams and Stevenson, who serve on MIDA’s board.

MIDA said it is reviewing the lawsuit, while Box Elder County said it had not yet been formally served.

Adams’ office also said it is reviewing the filing.

The plaintiffs argue that Box Elder County citizens are being shut out of decisions that could shape zoning, taxes, public health, and safety for decades.

Large data centers can put enormous demands on land, energy, and water resources.

In a dry state like Utah, those concerns carry particular weight for families, farmers, and nearby communities already worried about water security and environmental strain.

The lawsuit asks the court to find MIDA’s actions and the county commission’s related approvals unconstitutional.

It also seeks to block any further implementation of the Stratos Project Area Plan.

The project itself is already being reworked. After mounting political pressure, Adams asked O’Leary to reduce the data center’s size by 75%.

O’Leary said Wednesday he was “going to have to” scale back the project, and Adams later announced that O’Leary had agreed to the reduction, along with commitments to send water to the Great Salt Lake and preserve land for open space, wildlife protections, and agriculture.

Adams also said the project is still in its early stages and will undergo full permitting and environmental review.

“Backroom deals and pay-to-play have no place in Utah government, and Box Elder County residents deserve a voice in what happens to their community,” Irvine said, per NBC News.

Adams, meanwhile, said, “The response to the demand letter I sent demonstrates that public engagement matters and that Utahns’ concerns are being heard.”

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Content warning: This article contains information about alleged child sexual abuse material. Reader discretion is advised. Report CSAM to law enforcement by contacting the ICAC Tip Line at (801) 281-1211 or your local law enforcement agency. 

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A former First District Court judge in Box Elder County has been sentenced to three prison terms of 0-5 years for multiple child sexual exploitation charges.

In March 2025, Kevin Robert Christensen was charged with nine felonies, including two counts of enticing a minor and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor.

One month later, Christensen pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Former Box Elder judge pleads guilty to sexual crimes against children

Kevin Christensen appears in Second District Court in Ogden for sentencing. Courtesy: Rick Egan, The Salt Lake Tribune

According to the Attorney General’s office, prosecutors argued for the maximum allotted sentence for the charges, which is up to 15 years imprisonment.

First District Judge Catherine Conklin stated that she felt that Christensen’s prior position of authority within the community adds a “significant” aggravating factor to the charges. She added that she feels that he presents risk to the community due to evidence she read in his psychosexual report, emphasizing that he has “explanations” that keep him from taking full accountability for his actions.

“Therapy just isn’t going to be enough,” Conklin said. “Any sentence other than prison will give the impression that Mr. Christensen got off easy.”

Ultimately, Christensen was sentenced to three consecutive terms of up to five years on June 8, 2026.

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Utah Attorney General Derek Brown commented on the sentencing, saying that “no one is above the law.”

“Kevin Christensen was a sitting judge. He swore an oath to uphold the law. Then he sent explicit images to a 13-year-old, solicited more from a 16-year-old, and left thousands of predatory messages behind, said Brown. “Today he is a convicted felon. No one is above the law, and this office will keep proving that.”

‘The sorrow I feel is truly beyond words’: Christensen speaks

Kevin Christensen took to the podium at Monday’s sentencing, saying how sorry he is for the hurt that he has caused the victims.

“The sorrow I feel is truly beyond words,” Christensen said. “It is not me feeling sorry for myself but feeling sorry for those that I have hurt and betrayed.”

“The chats I initiated and participated in were truly awful,” he continued. “My heart is broken as I see how this has affected my family, how it has broken their hearts.”

Tremonton fire chief and Box Elder judge linked in child abuse case, documents say

Background

In 2025, former Tremonton City Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen and former First District Court Judge Kevin Robert Christensen were arrested on charges related to child sexual exploitation.

Court documents revealed that Hansen and Christensen had a sexual relationship and communicated about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the app Kik.

Hansen was charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, while Christensen was charged with engaging in graphic sexual chats with a minor. Both men resigned from their positions following their arrests.

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June 7, 2026, 6:44 p.m. ET

As the NBA Finals continue pushing forward to close out the 2025-26 season, the Utah Jazz are only getting closer to taking on a pivotal offseason that marks a turning point in this ongoing rebuild to take the next step into being a playoff competitor in the West this coming season.

And through the Jazz’s upcoming offseason, there’s a lot of dates to unpack. Between the draft, free agency, and even a couple of summer league circuits on the horizon, this team is bound to be staying busy through the next couple of months.

We’re still a few weeks away before things really begin to ramp up at Jazz HQ this offseason; we still haven’t found out who the champions will be of this past season.

But as we’re stuck waiting for the Jazz’s offseason to heat up, let’s take a look at the important dates to know over the next two months:

June 23, 24: NBA Draft

Only a few weeks remain before the Utah Jazz will be on the clock in the 2026 NBA Draft with their first top-two pick since 1980.

No matter who they land on for that long-awaited selection, they’re bound to instantly fill in as a key cornerstone for this roster to build around, hopefully for years to come.

As of now, though, that number-two pick will be the Jazz’s only draft pick throughout the two days of action. No other first or second round picks are at their disposal.

Utah could decide to trade for a second-rounder in the time between now and when the second day of action arrives on June 24th, but it wouldn’t be too shocking for them to stand pat as well.

June 30: Free Agency Moratorium Begins

Just a week after the draft wraps up in Brooklyn, the Jazz will then enter the chaos that is free agency. Teams will have a week to negotiate deals with either their own free agents or those hitting the market around the league before being able to officially put pen to paper on an official signing.

The Jazz will have a few of their own key free agents to keep an eye on through this period. Walker Kessler is the biggest name of those as he hits the restricted market, but Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love will be worth watching as well.

If each of those three can come to terms on a fair price on their new contracts, it’s certainly not out of the question for all three to be back in Utah on a new deal in due time.

July 6: Teams Can Officially Sign Free Agents

It takes a week before teams are officially able to bring on their pending free agent signings to the roster. But when July 6th rolls around, the Jazz and every other team around the league can officially cement the deals they made over the past week on their books.

Most of the free agency action ends up taking place through that first week in moratorium anyways. There tends to always be a few lingering names who take a little while longer before coming to an agreement, but expect to see most of the free agency frenzy to take place in the first one to two weeks of July.

July 4, 6, 7: SLC Summer League

The Jazz will be hosting their annual Summer League in Salt Lake City for three days at the start of July. This year, it’ll be the OKC Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, and Memphis Grizzlies as the three teams traveling to participate.

It essentially acts as a preview for what the Jazz’s young squad will look like in the Las Vegas Summer League a few days following.

However, there’s also the off-chance that someone could put together an electric three-day stretch in SLC that holds them out of the action in Las Vegas later on. Brice Sensabaugh did exactly that in 2025.

July 9-19: Las Vegas Summer League

After a quick turnaround from SLC, the Jazz will then travel to Las Vegas to compete with the rest of the league throughout a 10-day span filled with incoming rookies, second- and third-year players, and even a few younger veterans looking to establish their footing in the league ahead of next season.

Last year, it was Kyle Filipowski who stole the show for the Jazz, and ultimately took home the Las Vegas Summer League MVP.

This year’s Summer League roster for Utah might be a little depleted of young talent compared to their past few years of the rebuild, but Ace Bailey and the incoming second-overall pick are pretty likely bets to be on the floor.

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