Utah contracts with former federal defender chief to represent suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting death

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Utah contracts with former federal defender chief to signify suspect in Charlie Kirk taking pictures loss of life

By Debra Cassens Weiss

September 26, 2025, 9:59 am CDT

Utah County has employed a personal lawyer with vital legal protection expertise to signify the person accused of fatally taking pictures conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

The lawyer, former federal public defender Kathryn N. Nester, will signify Tyler James Robinson, 22, underneath a contract with the county, report the Salt Lake Tribune, KSL, ABC Information and Fox Information.

Robinson may face the loss of life penalty if convicted of Kirk’s Sept. 10 taking pictures loss of life at Utah Valley College.

Nester was beforehand the chief director of the Federal Defenders of San Diego, the federal public defender for the District of Utah and an assistant federal public defender within the Southern District of Mississippi. She is at present a associate at Nester Lewis.

Nester has additionally represented Kouri Richins, a grief writer accused of killing her husband after which writing a kids’s guide about grief.

The whole value of the Robinson illustration is unknown, however the contract is anticipated to value $750,000 over the following yr, Utah County spokesperson Richard Piatt informed the Salt Lake Tribune. The prosecutor’s workplace is anticipated to obtain about $600,000 for its elevated bills.

Commissioner Skyler Beltran informed the Salt Lake Tribune that commissioners don’t have a selection on funding the protection and prosecution.

“We’re going to approve over 1,000,000 {dollars} at the moment in an expense for an occasion that we didn’t need,” he mentioned. “None of us wished [it] and it occurred to be right here, and our taxpayers will now foot the invoice. It’s very unlucky.”

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