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A lawyer has revealed why Tyler Robinson's team have requested that he wear civilian clothes in court.
Robinson, 22, has been charged with the death of Charlie Kirk after the 31-year-old activist was assassinated in broad daylight last month.
A two-day man hunt then ensued, and Robinson was arrested and later charged with aggravated murder and firearm counts and multiple obstruction-of-justice charges.
Robinson is currently being held without bail in a special housing unit at the Utah County Jail. He appeared in court for the first time on September 16 wearing an anti-suicide vest.
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Robinson will be in court on numerous occasions over the coming months and, with this in mind, his lawyer requested that he be able to wear civilian clothes and have his shackles removed.
A filing directed at District Judge Tony Graf read: “In the face of worldwide scrutiny, permitting Mr Robinson to wear civilian clothing for court appearances is a minor inconvenience compared to the already present concerns with securing a fair trial before an impartial jury."
It further expressed concerns about jurors being prejudiced by Robinson's prison garbs and that it would 'inevitably lead to prosecutive juror perception that he is guilty and deserving of death'.
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Judge Graf proceeded to grant Robinson the right to wear civilian clothes in court, but said he must still be restrained.
"The safety of Mr Robinson, the attorneys, court staff, and the public must remain the court's highest priority," he said of the his decision to keep Robinson restrained.
Now, attorney of law Jeffrey S. Stephens has weighed in on why Robinson's legal team will have made the request.
Speaking to UNILAD, Stephens said "Defense counsel always prefer that their clients wear street clothes rather than prison attire so a jury is not predisposed to thinking of them as criminals."
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He went on to brand this 'ironic' as the defendants 'have obviously been charged with a crime, although they are innocent until proven guilty'.
Going on to explain why some judges prefer defendants to remain in prison garbs, Stephens shared: "Different judges hold different views. In many instances, they want it made clear that the defendant in a serious case is not out on bail, but is currently incarcerated pending the outcome of the trial, and therefore is required to wear prison attire.
"More liberal jurists allow those defendants to wear street clothes to avoid the potential prejudice mentioned above," he added.
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Robinson's next in-person court appearance is scheduled for 16 January, BBC reports.
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Court, Crime, Tyler Robinson, US News, Utah
Niamh Shackleton