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OREM, Utah — Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was appointed an attorney prior to the suspect’s court appearance next week, officials said on Wednesday evening.
Kirk was taken to a hospital in critical condition following the shooting on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, where he died, officials said.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON FACES DEATH PENALTY AS CHARGES FORMALLY ANNOUNCED
Booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
Kathryn Nester, a former federal public defender with more than 30 years of experience, will be spearheading the defense, according to a Utah County spokesperson. The Utah County Commission announced the appointment on Wednesday.
The Utah County Commission passed $1 million in staffing additions that will go towards the prosecution and defense team in Robinson’s case.
“This action fulfills the commission’s constitutional responsibility to ensure that individuals accused of a crime — who cannot afford legal representation — are provided with a qualified defense. In reaching this agreement, the commission relied on the advice of an independent criminal defense attorney, whom it has retained to advise the commission in these situations,” the commission’s statement read.
Who is Kathryn Nester?
Nester is a trial attorney at Nester Lewis in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has recently represented suspects in several high-profile cases around Utah.
Nester is currently also an attorney for Kouri Richins, a mother of three accused of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022, according to KPCW. Richins would go on to write a children’s book about grief after her husband’s death.
CHARLIE KIRK’S STRONG STANCE ON DEATH PENALTY RESURFACES AFTER UTAH ASSASSINATION
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah, prior to his assassination. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
Richins faces a slew of felony charges, including aggravated murder.
Prosecutors allege that Richins poisoned her husband’s cocktail with a fentanyl dose five times what’s considered lethal in order to make money and leave her marriage.
Nester represented Dr. Michael Kirk Moore, who was accused of throwing away COVID-19 shots and providing children with saline shots rather than the actual vaccine. He also allegedly sold fake vaccine cards.
In July, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that all charges in the case were dismissed at her direction.
Utah criminal defense attorney Kathryn Nester has been appointed to represent Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson. (University of Texas School of Law/Utah Governor’s Office)
“Dr. Moore gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so,” Bondi wrote. “He did not deserve the years in prison he was facing. It ends today.”
She was previously a federal public defender for Salt Lake City and San Diego and served on the National Steering Committee for the Clemency Project during the Obama administration. Nester graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Randy Spencer, a criminal defense attorney in the Salt Lake City area, told Fox News Digital Nester “is a well known criminal defense attorney located in Utah.”
“She is currently working on another high profile murder case, Kouri Richins. That case also will be pretty demanding of her time. She and her partner, Wendy Lewis, will have a lot to balance just in those two cases, let alone the rest of their case load,” Spencer said.
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Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera before 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, for his initial court appearance in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton/Pool via Deseret News)
“The criminal defense community in Utah is a very generous and helpful group of attorneys. I am certain that other attorneys will volunteer to assist Kathy and Wendy,” he added. “I am not sure what it is like in other states across the country, but we have a very good and cooperative defense bar in Utah.”
In her new case with Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray indicated last week he intends to seek the death penalty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.