A Utah judge denied efforts by the lawyers of Tyler Robinson, the alleged killer of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, to disqualify prosecutors over allegations of a conflict of interest related to Robinson’s upcoming trial on murder charges.

Judge Tony Graf issued his ruling on Tuesday during a virtual court hearing, denying the motion to disqualify the entire Utah County Attorney’s Office and thwarting an effort that would have significantly delayed the trial. Robinson has been charged with killing Kirk, and prosecutors have said they are seeking the death penalty. Robinson pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Robinson’s lawyers alleged that the presence of Utah County Attorney Chief Deputy Chad Grunander’s 18-year-old daughter at the Sept. 10, 2025, murder of Kirk creates a conflict of interest, and that the entire office, therefore, should be disqualified from trying the case.

“The court has independently reviewed the evidentiary record with particular attention to whether any direct or indirect decision making in this case reflects personal involvement inconsistent with the objective prosecutorial judgment,” Graf said. “The court finds no such evidence.”

The state court held a hearing featuring testimony from several prosecutors over the claims of a conflict of interest earlier this month. Grunander testified that they discussed whether his daughter’s presence at the event constituted a conflict of interest, but ultimately concluded that it did not. He also denied that his daughter’s presence at the shooting motivated the decision to seek the death penalty for Robinson.

“The court concludes that there is not a significant risk that Mr. Grunander’s loyalty to [his] daughter has or will materially limit his representation of the state of Utah. Furthermore, defendant has not shown that there is a significant risk that Mr. Grunander’s relationship with daughter has or will impact defendants due process rights,” Graf said, reading his order Tuesday.

“Based on the record before the court, defendant has not shown that his prosecution by the Utah County Attorney’s Office is tainted by a concurrent conflict of interest,” Graf continued.

Robinson faces multiple charges for his alleged assassination of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus last September. The maximum punishment for the charges levied against Robinson includes the death penalty.

The trial of Robinson on murder charges is expected to be one of the most closely watched cases of 2026, after the public killing of Kirk sent shockwaves through politics last year.

Authorities say Robinson was motivated to target Kirk because he disagreed sharply with Kirk’s conservative views on transgender individuals.