It has been over a month since conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a college talk in Utah. Kirk’s thirty-second birthday has passed since that time, with President Trump posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, on October 14. Now the attention turns to the case against Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson.

Robinson appeared virtually at a court appearance on September 29, where he faced charges of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. To date, Robinson currently only faces state charges and not federal ones, meaning his case will take place in Utah. The case will also include the possibility of Robinson receiving the death penalty. Kathryn Nester is the lead attorney assigned to defend Robinson.

 Judge Tony Graf Jr., a Utah judge who just began his post two months ago, is the judge that was randomly selected to hear the case. It’s a career-defining moment for someone so new to the bench. “I remain steadfast in my oath that I made 56 days ago to support and defend the constitutions of the United States and Utah,” Graf said upon news of the assignment. “Let me be clear, I will not put my finger on the scale of justice. Regardless of who is watching, whether it is the nation or a single individual, we must fulfill our roles with integrity, civility and diligence.” Graf has issued a gag order preventing any witnesses to the case from speaking to the media. “The Court will rule that as those witnesses become known to each side that that information is conveyed to abide by this order. Obviously, there are potentially many witnesses and it’s not the expectation that you would do that upfront but as they become known,” said Graf. Thousands of people were attending the event where Kirk was murdered, meaning the search for relevant witnesses could take some time to parse through.

With Robinson’s case being a state case and not a federal one, that means one big difference: Utah allows cameras in the court room, whereas federal cases do not. For such a big case as Robinson’s, which will likely draw in thousands of Kirk’s supporters, it could bring a lot of scrutiny to all involved. It could also help remove some of the speculation surrounding the case. The gag order, releases of text messages from Robinson to his so-called roommate and potential lover, as well as questions as to whether Robinson acted alone, have left a vacuum for conspiracy theories. Candace Owens, a friend of Kirk’s, has particularly questioned the official narrative. She has gone so far as to imply that Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA or the Trump administration, might somehow be involved in Kirk’s murder.

Owens has vowed to violate Graf’s gag order, although it is unclear if the gag order would even actually apply to her as she has not been identified as a witness in the case. Owens’s critics accuse her of antisemitism and “grifting.” “Candace is trying to coax those who are bound by the gag order in the Kirk assassination case (which is normal for cases of that magnitude to ensure a fair trial) to violate the gag order. This could trigger a mistrial,” wrote Shawn Farash of the “Ungoverned” podcast on X. “If it does, she will say that a mistrial occurred because ‘the case fell apart’ due to there being ‘too many holes’ when, in reality, SHE will have caused the case’s collapse due to procedural violations. When she is then threatened and possibly charged with witness tampering and obstruction, she will claim she is being ‘censored’ and that *THEY* are trying to ‘shut her down’ for ‘asking questions.’ This ends with no justice for Charlie Kirk and all eyes on Candace Owens, which is precisely what she wants.”