A Utah judge found Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard in contempt for violating a gag order related to the murder trial of Tyler Robinson. Judge Tony Graf ruled that Ballard's comments to the media regarding the case exceeded the scope of permissible statements under the gag order, but he did not remove the possibility of the death penalty for Robinson. Robinson's lawyers had requested this action in response to Ballard's public statements about the strength of the evidence against Robinson.
Graf stated that while Ballard's explanation of the ATF report was acceptable, his comments about Robinson's guilt were not. To address the violation, Graf plans to expand the jury pool and consider additional questionnaires to mitigate concerns about jury impartiality. He emphasized that removing the death penalty would be disproportionate and could interfere with prosecutorial discretion.
Robinson faces multiple charges for the alleged murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in September 2025, with the death penalty being a potential punishment. The preliminary hearing is set for July 6 to 10, 2026.