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 represent suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting death

By Debra Cassens Weiss

September 26, 2025, 9:59 am CDT

Utah County has hired a private lawyer with significant criminal defense experience to represent the man accused of fatally shooting conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

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

Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted of Kirk’s Sept. 10 shooting death at Utah Valley University.

Nester was previously the executive director of the Federal Defenders of San Diego, the federal public defender for the District of Utah and an assistant federal public defender in the Southern District of Mississippi. She is currently a partner at Nester Lewis.

Nester has also represented Kouri Richins, a grief author accused of killing her husband and then writing a children’s book about grief.

The total cost of the Robinson representation is unknown, but the contract is expected to cost $750,000 over the next year, Utah County spokesperson Richard Piatt told the Salt Lake Tribune. The prosecutor’s office is expected to receive about $600,000 for its increased expenses.

Commissioner Skyler Beltran told the Salt Lake Tribune that commissioners don’t have a choice on funding the defense and prosecution.

“We’re going to approve over a million dollars today in an expense for an event that we didn’t want,” he said. “None of us wanted [it] and it happened to be here, and our taxpayers will now foot the bill. It’s very unfortunate.”

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