On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, UPI reported that a judge ruled that the Utah County Attorney’s Office has no conflict of interest in the prosecution of Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter of Charlie Kirk.
The ruling comes after Robinson’s legal team submitted a challenge on January 16, arguing that a conflict existed because the daughter of prosecutor Chad Grunander, who is the chief deputy in the Utah County Attorney’s Office, was present at the September 10 event where Kirk, 31, was shot. The daughter reportedly texted her family in a group chat that “someone” had been killed, according to KSL News Radio.
Kirk was killed on the campus of Utah Valley University at a TurningPoint USA event. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf stated that he found no conflict of interest in the case.
The defense argued on February 3 that Grunander’s daughter, a UVU student, could be a potential witness. However, Grunander, his daughter, and Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray all testified that she had no influence on any decisions made regarding Robinson’s prosecution. They also stated that she was in the back of the crowd and that there were stronger potential witnesses. KSL reported this information. The prosecutors disclosed the situation to the defense team a month after the shooting, and the timing became a point of contention.
Grunander testified that the disclosure was made out of “an abundance of caution.” He stated, “Don’t mistake our disclosure, my disclosure, our abundance of caution, our professionalism, integrity, to be a concession that we believe there’s merit to this alleged conflict.”
Grunander also said his daughter, 18, did not witness Kirk’s death or see anyone who might have been a suspect, according to CNN. Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride added, “The reality is…she did not see Charlie Kirk get shot. She’s just not a witness. As a result, there’s really no conflict here.”
Judge Graf agreed that the decision to seek the death penalty was not influenced by Grunander’s daughter but was appropriate. He stated that “She has no uniquely relevant testimony to give,” according to KSL. However, he also told Robinson’s defense team that they may subpoena her if they believe her testimony is relevant.
Robinson has not yet entered pleas for his charges, which include aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering, along with several victim-targeting enhancements and an aggravating factor of having committed a violent offense in the presence of a child.
The preliminary hearing is slated for May 18 and is expected to continue for three days.
Source: UPI
