Prosecutor in Charlie Kirk shooting case held in contempt by judge
Judge rebukes Christopher Ballard for talking to media but declines defense’s request to take death penalty off table
TL;DR
- A Utah judge found deputy county attorney Christopher Ballard in contempt of court for speaking to the media about the murder case of Tyler James Robinson.
- The defense argued Ballard violated a pre-trial media gag order with his statements to news outlets.
- Ballard stated the state had ample evidence to demonstrate Robinson's guilt and clarified interpretations of ballistics testing.
- The judge agreed Ballard's statements had a substantial likelihood of prejudicing the proceedings.
- However, the judge denied the defense's request to remove the death penalty as a punishment, citing it as an improper intrusion into prosecutorial discretion.
- The court will consider expanding the jury pool and using additional questionnaires to address potential prejudice.
- A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 6, and a decision on electronic media in the courtroom is expected next week.