The individual alleged to have assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk is likely to face capital punishment in Utah.
Charlie Kirk, aged 31 and co-founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, September 10.
The fatal gunshot, fired by a sniper positioned on a nearby rooftop, struck Kirk around 12:20 pm while he was addressing questions about mass shootings and gun violence. Despite being rushed to a local hospital, Kirk was pronounced dead.
Kirk was known for his pro-gun stance. During a Turning Point event in Salt Lake City in April 2023, he commented: “It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.”
Authorities have identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a native of Utah, as the suspected shooter.
While officials have not disclosed a motive for Kirk’s killing, if Robinson is convicted, he may face the death penalty. But how does this process work in Utah?
Utah, known as the ‘Beehive State,’ is among the few states in America that offers multiple execution methods, with lethal injection being the required procedure.
In 2010, Ronnie Lee Gardner became the third individual to be executed by firing squad in modern times. Until last year, Utah had not conducted any executions since Gardner’s.
On August 8, 2024, Taberon Honie was executed by the state, marking Utah’s first execution since Gardner. The execution cost amounted to $288,685, with the majority spent on pentobarbital, the drug used for lethal injections, costing $200,000.
Ralph Menzies was scheduled for execution by firing squad on September 5, but the execution was postponed after a court ruled that his severe dementia rendered him incapable of understanding the reason for his execution.
Should Kirk’s alleged shooter be sentenced to death, they would not have the option of choosing a firing squad due to a 2004 law mandating lethal injection for those on death row after that date. However, if the state is unable to procure the necessary drug a month before the execution, the firing squad may be considered as an alternative method.