LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)—The trial of the man accused of murdering US conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk will begin in June 2028, the judge said Monday.

“Jury selection will begin June 21, 2028,” judge Tony Graf told the Utah district court, noting that 105 days have been reserved for the trial.

Tyler Robinson, 23, faces a potential death penalty for allegedly killing Kirk with a gunshot to the neck on a university campus in the western US state of Utah on September 10, 2025.

The killing of Kirk at age 31 at an event planned by his right-wing youth organisation, Turning Point, sent shockwaves through the US political world.

Kirk had become a popular leader in a Christian Nationalist movement that preaches traditional values while voicing intolerance for diversity and LGBTQ communities.

Turning Point was key to mobilising youth support for Donald Trump’s re-election as president in 2024. The group is now led by his wife, Erika Kirk.

The prosecution had sought a trial as early as January 2028, while Robinson’s lawyers had wanted until the end of 2029 to prepare their defense.

Last month, Trump criticised the judge and said the case “should be tried within a month, not three years.”

Kirk’s assassination last year triggered a 33-hour manhunt culminating in Robinson surrendering to authorities.

He has pled not guilty.

The prosecution has presented text messages in which Robinson confessed to planning the murder to his roommate, a transgender person with whom they allege Robinson was in a relationship.

The defense has focused on alleged weaknesses in the DNA and ballistic evidence.