Tyler Robinson’s Defense Costs Reach $1.6 Million in Charlie Kirk Murder Case (9/11/26)

0:00This is Ashley Akinetti from the almost famous podcast. You ever notice you and your spouse keep saying, we need to get away, but you never actually plan anything. That was us until we did something fun and spontaneous. We went to resort pass.com. There are hundreds of hotel resorts, pools and spots and private beaches that you can enjoy. You can spend the day at a luxury resort, pool, spa, massage, without booking an overnight stay. And listen, I may have only been like 15 minutes from home, but it felt like it was a whole different world. And I'm thinking, this is exactly what I needed. So just go to resort pass.com, choose your resort, choose your day, luxury, resort, day passes, start at just $1,500. Once you post your daycation, people are gonna ask where you are. Go to resort pass.com slash almost famous and use the promo code almost famous to get $20 off when you spend $100. That's code almost famous at resort pass.com slash almost famous.

1:01Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have Exama. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let Exama take over when you can talk to your doctor about Epglis? Epglis, lubricism app, LBKZ. A 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe Exama. Also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Epglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Epglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Pay partnership with Lily. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Epglis and visit Epglis.com or call 1-800-LilyRX or 1-800-545-5979. What's up everyone and welcome back to the program.

2:04In this episode, we're gonna spin back out to Utah and talk a little bit more about the Tyler Robinson trial that is now scheduled to take place. Now, we don't know the exact date when all of that's going to occur. But what we do know is that this trial, this investigation and the defense of Tyler Robinson has already cost the taxpayers $1.6 million. And that is only going to skyrocket. And whenever you're trying a complex case like this, especially a capital murder case, it's gonna come with a hefty price tag. And keep in mind that the state is providing the defense for Tyler Robinson. And we know that those people are not cheap. Experts, the lawyers, building a case of defense the whole thing. And it comes with a hefty ass price tag. And that's a price tag that the taxpayers in Utah are gonna have to eat. And if you recall over in Idaho, it was the same kind of conversation considering that it happened in such a small town, such a small county.

3:05They didn't have the funds to even investigate what was going on. So they had to get an injection of money from the state. And obviously that's gonna happen here too. There's gonna be some budgeting issues that pop up and they're gonna need to be addressed. And I think that we'll see pretty much the same playbook that we saw in Idaho. And of course that ended up with the state providing more funds to the county. But one thing is for sure, this whole entire trial is gonna come with a gigantic price tag. Today's article is from the Salt Lake Tribune. And the headline, a year after Charlie Kirk's killing, Tyler Robinson's defense has cost taxpayers $1.6 million so far. This article was authored by Jessica Shryffles. It's been a year since Charlie Kirk was fatally shot. And Utah County has so far paid $1.6 million to the public defenders who represent the man accused of pulling the trigger. And the criminal case is far from over. And I know that's a hard pill for people to swallow.

4:06The fact that somebody that's accused of something this heinous, but even somebody accused of something like this deserves to have legal counsel. And if they can't afford it, then that's provided to them by the state. And when we're talking about a capital murder case, it's not like every single lawyer is capable of handling that kind of load. So there are only a certain amount of lawyers in the state that are capable of even dealing with something that's complex. So of course, it's gonna cost a ton of money. The county has already exhausted the $1 million earmarked to help pay for the Tyler Robinson's defense. The rest has come from its public defense budget or a rainy day fund, Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran said, and this is going to continue to be an issue. There's going to be a lot of costs that comes along with this. Remember, there's going to have to be an expert to challenge every expert and the experts at the state are bringing up. They have to pay for them too. So not only are the taxpayers on the hook for Tyler Robinson's

5:09defense, they have to pay for the whole prosecution as well. And look, I hate to sound morbid and you know, talk about money here. A man was assassinated, but this is the reality of a complex capital punishment case. And it's something that these districts certainly take into account. And that's why you don't see more capital punishment pushes. There's a lot that goes in to getting a capital case across the finish line. And the bill will continue to grow. A trial date has not been set. And Robinson's attorneys have indicated that they're preparing to file and argue numerous motions before trial. Oh, this is going to be a long protracted battle. There's going to be motions for days. And like I predicted earlier, I think they're going to follow the Brian co burger model. I think that they're going to try and gum things up, slow things down and try to make things move at a snail's pace because that's beneficial to their client, right? The more time, the better. And with all of the experts that are going to be brought in by the

6:12state, the defense is going to have a chance to rebut that testimony. So they're going to have to do their due diligence. And with all of the discovery that's been handed over to them and all the discovery that's to come, this is a monumental task, folks. Not something that's easy on either side. And I know it gets frustrating watching these lawyers with all the motions and, you know, slowing things down. But try and keep in mind that's their job, right? They have to do the best they can do for their client. And when they're not working from a place of advantage, that's difficult. So they have to try and pierce a hole. And look, if I was on trial for my life, I'd want my lawyers to do the same thing. So we have to try and understand that the lawyers, while they might be frustrating, they might be annoying. This is their job. And unless they step over the line and do something that's sanctionable, there's no recourse because their job is to confront the evidence that's being presented by the prosecution.

7:13And I think so far, they're doing a pretty good job. Well, not that they're winning, but they're doing a good job with what they have. And I think we'll continue to see that because this is a competent defense team, just like Brian Coburgers team was very competent. County officials previously acknowledged that they're paying more for defense attorneys for Tyler Robinson than for defendants in other death penalty eligible cases, saying the increased attention and public scrutiny of the case call for it. Bell trans and a recent interview that the defense cost for Robinson so far are about in line with what we anticipated. And I think that's probably correct. They know what they're looking at. They know what the billable hours are. They know how much these attorneys cost and the experts. So they can get a good idea and estimate of what they're going to be on the hook for. And then from there, they can get a game plan with the state as far as how much more money they might need. Robinson now 23 is facing seven criminal charges, including aggravated murder in connection with curks September 10th, 2025 death.

8:17Given that Robinson can't afford his own attorney, Utah County has no choice but to put the bill for his public defenders. And that's the way the system set up. And I understand that people don't like it, but it's the only way we can have a fair system or at least close to fair. Imagine if people were going to court with no legal representation. You think the system's fucking people now? Boy, oh boy. So I understand completely when people are fired up with how much money is being spent. And I get it. But we have to keep in mind that Tyler Robinson as of right now is an innocent man. And the government has so much power to destroy people's lives. We have to make sure that people that are accused of crimes are getting the best legal representation that they can get. So this is one of those issues where I'm middle of the road. I usually have an opinion one way or the other, but I understand both sides of this argument. And when you cover enough of these cases, you see it play out time and time again. And Robinson's case, the judge last week made a key decision when he

9:19determined that there was enough evidence to move the aggravated murder case forward to trial. His ruling came after a week long prelim hearing in July, where prosecutors presented evidence that they say shows Robinson used his grandfather's rifle to fire a single shot from a top of Utah Valley university building toward a crowd of thousands gathered for Kirk's turning point USA event. And I think that the prosecution did a good enough job presenting evidence that every single charge should have been binded over. And they were. Now do they stand once we get the trial and there's a rigorous examination? I don't know. We'll have to see, right? But at this stage, according to the law in Utah, this is exactly where we should be. This part of the court case was time intensive. Bel Tran said so County officials expected more from billing from Robinson's defense lawyers. But with that decision behind them, Bel Tran said he's optimistic costs will be lower for now. I don't believe that there's going to be expert upon expert and they

10:22cost a lot of money. It goes in waves, he said, we kind of hit peak expense. Now we'll have a little less expenses before trial. And then the trial will be expensive. I have my doubts about that. This word of shit is very, very, very expensive. When you're investigating something like this, all these leads, all these different, you know, angles, you have to chase down. And then on top of that, you're paying for the defense to counter all of that. So it's one of those things where no matter what you do, you're spending money and a lot of it. Robinson is pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and six other charges. A trial date might be set at his next court hearing in October, but Robinson's defense team indicated they may not be ready to finalize dates yet. As they consider what kind of motions they want to file ahead of trial. And look, I caution everybody to be prepared. It's going to be a slog, right? It's going to take time. And there's going to be a lot of back and forth.

11:25And the most important thing we can do to try and keep up to date is follow the court docket. Whatever court documents are coming out, follow them. They're going to give us a blueprint to what's happening behind the scenes. Remember, there's a gag order. So we're not going to be hearing from lawyers. We're not going to be hearing from people involved. But if you read the court documents, you kind of get an idea. And that's the same method we used with co-burger when all of that was going down. In the next phase of the court case, both prosecutors and defense will file pre trial motions that fourth district judge Tony Graff will rule on. This essentially sets the ground rules about what evidence or witnesses can be presented to the jury during the trial. Very key hearing, right? Very important. And that's going to give us a better idea of what kind of argument we can expect from both sides. This is Ashley Akinati from the almost famous podcast. You ever notice you and your spouse keep saying we need to get away, but you never actually plan anything. That was us until we did something fun and spontaneous.

12:27We went to resort pass.com. There are hundreds of hotel resorts, pools and spas and private beaches that you can enjoy. You can spend the day at a luxury resort pool spa massage without booking an overnight stay. And listen, I may have only been like 15 minutes from home, but it felt like it was a whole different world. And I'm thinking, this is exactly what I needed. So just go to resort pass.com, choose your resort, choose your day, luxury resort day passes start at just $1,000. Once you post your day, occasion, people are going to ask where you are. Go to resort pass.com slash almost famous and use the promo code almost famous to get $20 off when you spend $100. That's code almost famous at resort pass.com slash almost famous. Hey, it's Kelly Rowland. You may not know this, but I have Xima. So I get how it can steal your time. But why let Xima take over when you can talk to your doctor about Ebglyce?

13:28Ebglyce, Lebrichizmab, LBKZ, a 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older, who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe axima, also called a topic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Ebglyce can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you are allergic to Ebglyce. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. I problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have newer, worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Ebglyce before starting Ebglyce. Tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Pay partnership with Lily. Respect your time. Ask your doctor about Ebglyce and visit Ebglyce.com or call 1-800-LilyRX or 1-800-545-5979. Shop Vons and Albertsons for fresh savings every time you shop. This week at Vons and Albertsons get fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for 1.99 per pound limit 10 pounds. And locally grown, grape-ary cotton candy grapes are 2.99 per pound

14:29with digital coupon. Plus 24 packs of Canada dry or 7-up 12 ounce cans are 4.99 limit one with digital coupon. Enjoy fresh and delicious savings for every meal. Hurry in. These deals won't last. Visit vons or Albertsons.com for more deals and ways to save. All of that work comes out of cost. One that under Utah's public defense system falls to Utah County. There is a state managed fund that counties can pay into sort of insurance policy from which county officials can request money if they have a death penalty eligible case. But Utah County doesn't pay into that pot and instead uses its own money to contract with individual attorneys and death penalty eligible cases. Well, that seems like a mistake, no? Nobody needs insurance until you need insurance. It is getting some state help though. Beltrend confirmed that the Utah legislature earmarked 1 million during this year's session to help with defense costs after the county had requested $2 million. When asked if Utah County has considered paying into the state managed fund,

15:33Beltrend said the county tried to join a few years ago but was denied. The Utah Indigent Defense Commission oversees that fund. Matthew Barza, the commission's executive director, disputed the Utah County was turned away. Oh, nothing like some infighting, huh? Nothing like a little bit of infighting. When you're trying to pursue a capital murder case in one of the most high profile cases, in what the past 30, 40 years, always nice to have infighting. Baratza said the county officials approached the commission in 2024 and tried to enter the fund but they wanted access to money in the state. The fund, but they wanted access to money immediately to pay for the defense in a death penalty case that had already been filed against a truck driver, named Michael Jane. He's accused of intentionally crashing into a police car and killing an officer. The fund acts similarly to an insurance policy he said, payment into the fund allows participating counties to draw upon the fund for future capital cases.

16:33Look, it's a lot of money. And there's just no getting around it. And if you don't think that comes into the decision-making process for the DA, you have not been paying attention. It always comes down to the dough, no matter what. The commission decided at the time that Jane's case was an eligible for the fund, because it had already been filed. But Baratza said that they did not entirely turn Utah County away. He said he reached out to county managers with additional questions about defense costs the county had in recent death penalty cases. He said he never heard back. And Utah County never followed up on its pending application. All right, so there's worth things currently stand up in Utah. And when we get some more information, obviously, we'll get it added to the catalog. All the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box. This is Ashley Akinati from the Almost Amidst podcast. You ever notice you and your spouse keep saying, we need to get away, but you never actually plan anything. That was us until we did something fun and spontaneous.

17:37We went to resortpass.com. There are hundreds of hotel resorts, pools and spots and private beaches that you can enjoy. You can spend the day at a luxury resort, pool, spa, massage, without booking an overnight stay. And listen, I may have only been like 15 minutes from home, but it felt like it was a whole different world. And I'm thinking this is exactly what I needed. So just go to resortpass.com, choose your resort, choose your day, luxury resort day passes start at just $1,500. Once you post your daycation, people are going to ask where you are. Go to resortpass.com slash almost famous and use the promo code almost famous to get $20 off when you spend $100. That's code almost famous at resortpass.com slash almost famous. Shop vans and Albertsons for fresh savings every time you shop. This week at vans and Albertsons, get fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $199 per pound limit 10 pounds. And locally grown grape ory cotton candy grapes are $299 per pound with digital coupon.

18:39Plus 24 packs of Canada dry or 7-up 12-ounce cans are $499 limit 1 with digital coupon. Enjoy fresh and delicious savings for every meal. Hurry in, these deals won't last. Visit vans or Albertsons.com for more deals and ways to save. At QVC, fall shopping is more than just checking out. It's discovering the brands you love across beauty, fashion, home and culinary, all in one place. Whether you're getting ready for crisp mornings, cozy nights, or everyday moments, QVC has what you need for the season ahead, with brands like Laura Geller, philosophy, ninja and so many more. Shop now at QVC.com.