Tyler Robinson's defense calls on expert from Kohberger case to argue bias in jury pool

The defence of Charlie Kirk's accused assassin, Tyler Robinson, is expected to telephone connected an adept witnesser who besides worked for Bryan Kohberger's ineligible squad astatine Friday's proceeding connected their question to footwear quality cameras retired of the courtroom, according to tribunal filings.

California-based proceedings advisor Bryan Edelman, who has a Ph.D. successful societal psychology, conducted a telephone survey for the defence and reported his findings connected March 13.

"It is Dr. Edelman’s sentiment that the modern net and societal media ecosystem — particularly algorithmic curation and personalization — has fundamentally altered however quality is consumed and makes local, high-profile publicity substantially harder to debar for residents of the locality wherever the events giving emergence to the lawsuit occurred and the lawsuit is being tried," Robinson's attorneys wrote successful a filing past week.

ALLEGED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON'S FINGERPRINTS, PALM PRINT FOUND NEAR ROOFTOP

Left: Bryan Kohberger, 30, appears for his sentencing proceeding aft helium was convicted successful the 2022 stabbing deaths of 4 Idaho assemblage students, astatine the Ada County Courthouse, successful Boise, Idaho, U.S., July 23, 2025. Right: Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, appears during a proceeding successful Fourth District Court connected Dec. 11, 2025, successful Provo, Utah. Prosecutors person charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated execution and program to question the decease penalty. (Kyle Green/Pool via REUTERS, Rick Egan-Pool/Getty Images)

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Tyler Robinson, left, accused successful the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, sits beside defence lawyer Kathryn Nester during a proceeding successful Fourth District Court successful Provo connected Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)

Edelman's grounds is expected to delve into pretrial publicity and nationalist sentiment connected to the lawsuit against Robinson, who faces the imaginable decease punishment if convicted of aggravated execution and Kirk's shooting death.

Robinson, 22, is accused of firing the fatal changeable from a rooftop astatine Utah Valley University arsenic Kirk, a 31-year-old begetter of two, spoke to a assemblage of astir 3,000 successful the campus' cardinal courtyard.

In a summary of Edelman's opinions filed with the court, the defence suggested that societal media algorithms beforehand salient section news, making it harder for imaginable jurors to debar pretrial sum of a case, including online commentary.

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Charlie Kirk throws hats to the assemblage aft arriving astatine Utah Valley University successful Orem, Utah, connected Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk, laminitis of Turning Point USA, was speaking astatine his "American Comeback Tour" erstwhile helium was changeable successful the cervix and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

"Experimental probe indicates that hostile oregon uncivil comments tin impact readers’ interpretations and perceptions," the defence wrote successful the caller filing. "In applicable terms, the aforesaid quality point whitethorn beryllium encountered alongside inflammatory commentary that tin heighten affectional effect and signifier impressions beyond the factual contented of the reporting."

Robinson's lawyers, Kathryn Nester, Michael Burt, Richard Novak and Staci Visser, besides argued that pretrial publicity impacts the assemblage excavation and tin summation the likelihood of blameworthy verdicts. Judges are often tasked with balancing the public's close to entree tribunal proceedings and a defendant's close to a just trial.

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Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf speaks during a proceeding for Tyler Robinson, accused successful the fatal shooting of blimpish activistic Charlie Kirk, successful 4th District Court, connected Friday, March. 13, 2026, successful Provo, Utah. (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)

Edelman besides worked connected a arguable juror questionnaire connected behalf of Kohberger's ineligible team. It included questions that Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson alleged were aimed astatine tainting the assemblage excavation successful that case.

Multiple radical contacted for the survey called police, raising concerns astir violations of a gag bid meant to support details up of trial.

Judge John Judge, who was presiding implicit Kohberger's lawsuit astatine the time, called it "ironic" that the defence survey could person tainted the assemblage pool, alternatively than allegations from the prosecution.

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Mark Calzaretta, a assemblage advisor and founding spouse astatine Magna Legal Services, told Fox News Digital antecedently that surveys are communal signifier erstwhile the defence is seeking a alteration of venue.

An approximation of the suspected movements of Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin, based connected tribunal documents, video from the country and conversations with instrumentality enforcement. (Fox News Digital)

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Kohberger's propulsion for a alteration of venue retired of Latah County succeeded, but helium yet pleaded blameworthy successful Ada County to debar the decease punishment weeks earlier his proceedings was scheduled to statesman past year.

Robinson's defence has already tried to person the Utah County Attorney's Office disqualified from the lawsuit implicit an alleged struggle of interest. Judge Tony Graf Jr. denied the request.

People tally aft shots were fired during an quality by Charlie Kirk astatine Utah Valley University connected Sept. 10, 2025, successful Orem, Utah. Kirk, laminitis of Turning Point USA, was speaking astatine his "American Comeback Tour" erstwhile helium was changeable successful the cervix and killed. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

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Other high-profile cases Edelman has worked connected see the execution proceedings of erstwhile Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke and Buffalo supermarket wide shooter Payton Gendron.

Edelman's grounds is besides expected to see topics related from a declaration helium filed successful Gendron's pending national case, demographics successful Utah County, wherever Robinson's proceedings is expected to beryllium held, and the fairness of the assemblage enactment process.