Tyler Robinson’s attorneys filed a court motion in the case this week, arguing his wearing of jail garb and shackles undermines the defense.
Defense attorneys representing the man accused of assassinating conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last month filed a court motion on Thursday asking a judge to allow him to attend in-person court hearings wearing plain clothes and without shackles.
During his first court appearance, Robinson was seen wearing jail clothing and what appeared to be an anti-suicide smock. He made his first court appearance virtually.
In the motion submitted to Judge Tony Graf, his attorneys argued that the change in clothes is needed to ensure that potential jurors are not impacted by seeing Robinson in jail garb and with shackles. They cited interest in the case, including 18,000 search results for his first court appearance.
“With each development in the case generating thousands of articles and comments online, the likelihood of potential jurors seeing and drawing conclusions regarding Mr. Robinson’s guilt and or deserved punishment from obvious signs of pretrial incarceration will only increase,” said his attorneys, led by public defender Kathryn Nester.
They added that “given the pervasive media coverage in this case, the repeated and ubiquitous display of Mr. Robinson in jail garb, shackles, and a suicide vest will undoubtedly be viewed by prospective jurors and will inevitably lead to prospective juror perception that he is guilty and deserving of death.”
The defense’s motion cited the murder case against Bryan Kohberger in Idaho, noting that his attorneys successfully persuaded a judge to allow him to wear a suit and appear without cuffs in the courthouse. Kohberger pleaded guilty to four murders in July as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
“In the modern age of ubiquitous internet access and unrelenting media attention to high-profile criminal cases,” Robinson’s attorneys also wrote, “the prejudicial effect of a criminal defendant appearing in shackles, jail attire, and bullet-proof or suicide vests at any hearing threatens fundamental fairness.”
They also said that Robinson does not have a criminal record and has been well-behaved in custody.
