Tyler Robinson hearing ends on cliffhanger as judge reveals he won’t rule on trial: Live
Exclusive:Why isn’t the judge making his decision today? Legal expert slams ‘extraordinary’ delay
Utah District Judge Tony Graf said following this week’s pre-trial probable cause hearings, he will wait to make his decision on whether Tyler Robinson will face trial until September 1.
Many observers had anticipated Graf would make his ruling on Friday at the conclusion of the final hearing.
But both the prosecution and defense requested time to review transcripts and to submit written briefs to argue their case, leading Graf to schedule an additional hearing in almost two months’ time.
Lawyer and criminal defense attorney Joshua Kolsrud told the Daily Mail that he found the delay ‘extraordinary’.
‘It is very unusual,’ Kolsrud said. ‘I have never seen a two month delay on a probable cause hearing decision in my 19 years in law.’
Kolsrud said Graf’s inexperience as a judge, with less than a year on the bench, may have played a role in the decision ‘taking up so much time.’
He noted that Graf will determine only if there is ‘probable cause’ that Robinson likely killed Kirk, which will allow prosecutors to take him to a murder trial, which has a much higher burden of proof.
‘The hearing is really asking, ‘how much smoke is there to know if there is a fire?’ And the prosecution have clearly met that (to take the case to trial,’ Kolsrund opined.
