Judge in Charlie Kirk murder case holds prosecutor in contempt

A Utah judge on Friday found a top Utah County prosecutor violated a gag order when he spoke to reporters about the high-profile aggravated murder case against the man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk. Graf’s ruling stems from interviews Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard gave to TMZ, Fox News and USA Today after defense attorneys argued in a court filing that federal testing couldn’t match the bullet that killed Kirk to the rifle Tyler Robinson allegedly possessed. Ballard testified earlier this month that in those interviews, he was trying to correct what prosecutors viewed as misleading media reports — but 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf concluded he crossed the line from correcting misinformation into commenting on the strength of the prosecution’s case. Robinson’s defense team had asked for a harsh penalty, asking the judge to ban prosecutors outright from seeking the death penalty against Robinson. But Graf said during a Friday hearing that would be “grossly disproportionate” to Ballard’s violation. The judge instead opted to expand the jury selection process and allow additional questioning of potential jurors. He also ordered prosecutors to pay Robinson’s legal fees in connection to the motion they filed asking that Ballard be held in contempt. (Robinson is being represented by public defenders paid for by Utah County.) Reporting: Jessica Schreifels The Salt Lake Tribune