Utah taxpayers may ultimately be forced to spend well over $10 million to fund the legal defense of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as experts warn that the lengthy and complex death penalty case could stretch on for years.

Legal analysts say the enormous potential cost stems from the unique demands of a capital murder prosecution, where defendants face the possibility of execution and virtually every stage of the proceedings—including years of appeals following any conviction—requires extensive legal work.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the case, told The Post that Robinson’s attorneys appear to be pursuing an aggressive strategy aimed at avoiding a death sentence. “are litigating anything and everything to try to bring the prosecution to the table to offer a life-without-the-possibility-of-parole deal,” Rahmani said.

He acknowledged that the legal tactics are expensive but unsurprising. “So yeah, it it is costing taxpayers,” he said of the drawn-out process, which most recently involved Robinson’s preliminary hearings.

Rahmani added, “But what do you expect the defense to do? They’re playing the hand that they’re dealt, right? And it’s not a good hand.”

Robinson, 23, is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old married father of two and co-founder of Turning Point USA, while Kirk was addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University in Orem in September.

To cover the costs of the prosecution and defense, the Utah County Commission approved an initial $1 million last year to pay both Robinson’s defense attorneys and the prosecutors handling the case, according to Fox News.

By February, however, county officials were already warning that another $1 million in state funding would be required for Robinson’s legal team alone, bringing the anticipated defense costs to at least $2 million. At that point, the county had already paid approximately $349,000 to his attorneys, according to KUTV.

One major reason for the mounting expense is that Robinson has been declared indigent and therefore qualifies under Utah law for court-appointed attorneys with specialized experience in death penalty litigation and appellate practice.

Because those lawyers possess highly specialized expertise, their services come at a premium, with taxpayers responsible for the costs as the case continues to move slowly through the courts while the defense attempts to eliminate the possibility of capital punishment.

Nearly 10 months after the Sept. 10 shooting, Robinson has yet to receive a trial date.

According to Rahmani, Robinson’s attorneys have repeatedly delayed the proceedings by filing numerous motions on a wide range of issues, including repeated efforts to block cameras from the courtroom and attempts to disqualify prosecutors or seek sanctions against them. He believes the objective is to pressure prosecutors into negotiating a plea agreement.

Rahmani compared the strategy to the approach taken in Bryan Kohberger’s quadruple homicide case.

“They’re trying to put pressure on the prosecution to offer a life deal. Like they did in Kohberger,” Rahmani said of his lawyers.

He argued that a plea agreement would dramatically reduce the financial burden on taxpayers. “If the state offered a plea deal and a life sentence, the taxpayers would save millions and millions of dollars,” the expert said, noting it’s usually cheaper to put someone behind bars for life than to sentence them to death because of the cost of the appeals process.

Rahmani also said the pace of the case reflects the deliberate approach of Judge Tony Graf, who is presiding over the proceedings.

“I think all the attention on the case, he doesn’t want to make a mistake or be overturned on appeal,” he said of the judge. “He’s very slow, he’s very thorough, and very deliberate.”

Utah defense attorney Nathan Evershed likewise told The Post that delaying proceedings is a common defense strategy in death penalty cases because additional time can increase the likelihood of reaching a negotiated resolution.

“Usually what happens is that the longer a case can get delayed, the more of a chance there can be an off-ramp or a plea deal,” Evershed said.

He added, “And an off-ramp is harder to find when it’s raw and very, very fraught with emotions. Whereas it’s easier to find when it’s less raw and you’re able to come to the table.”

Evershed agreed that Robinson’s case is likely to become exceptionally expensive due to the anticipated length of the trial, the specialized capital defense team, and the expert witnesses expected to testify during both the guilt and sentencing phases.

“It’s going to cost quite a bit of money to get to that point,” Evershed said. “And the only people that will be paying for that are the taxpayers.”

Last week, Judge Graf presided over several days of preliminary hearings and must now determine whether prosecutors have established probable cause for the case to proceed to trial. In Utah, preliminary hearings serve as an alternative to grand jury indictments.

Those hearings themselves were postponed for two months from their originally scheduled May date. Graf also announced that he will not issue his ruling until after additional arguments are heard in September.

If the judge ultimately finds probable cause, Robinson will then be arraigned before a trial date is scheduled. He remains in custody pending further proceedings.

Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, along with his parents and several family friends, attended the preliminary hearings. During the proceedings, the court viewed graphic video footage of the public shooting. Erika Kirk left the courtroom before the disturbing recordings were played.

{Matzav.com}