Tyler Robinson’s Defense Brings in Kohberger Case Expert to Challenge Jury Bias
Tyler Robinson’s Defense Taps Bryan Kohberger-Linked Expert to Challenge Jury Bias in Charlie Kirk Case
The legal team of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing former TPUSA CEO Charlie Kirk, is expected to call on an expert witness who has also worked for Bryan Kohberger’s infamous quadruple murder case. He is expected to be called at a hearing scheduled for Friday regarding their motion, which will determine whether cameras are allowed in the courtroom.
The 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was charged with aggravated murder after Kirk was was fatally shot in September 2025. At the time, he was addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University, where Robinson also studied. According to Fox News, California-based trial consultant Bryan Edelman, a Ph.D in social psychology, conducted a survey for Robinson’s defense team and reported his findings on March 13.
yler Robinson’s defense plans to call Bryan Edelman.
In a filing last week, Robinson’s attorneys wrote, “It is Dr. Edelman’s opinion that the modern internet and social media ecosystem — especially algorithmic curation and personalization — has fundamentally altered how news is consumed and makes local, high-profile publicity substantially harder to avoid for residents of the locality where the events giving rise to the case occurred and the case is being tried.”
The filing further added, “Experimental research indicates that hostile or uncivil comments can affect readers’ interpretations and perceptions.” The defense lawyers argued that, in practical terms, the same news story can appear next to strongly opinionated commentary, which may intensify emotions and influence how people perceive it beyond the actual facts.
Robinson’s lawyers, Kathryn Nester, Michael Burt, Richard Novak, and Staci Visser, also emphasized that pretrial publicity influences the jury pool and can increase the risk of a wrong verdict.
Tyler Robinson's handwritten confession after allegedly killing Charlie Kirk.
They noted that judges must strike a balance between keeping court proceedings open to the public and ensuring the defendant receives a fair trial.
Edelman is also expected to speak about the points raised in a declaration he filed in Gendron’s ongoing federal case, along with details about the population in Utah County, where Robinson’s trial is set to take place, and whether the jury selection process is fair.
Prior to working on Robinson’s case, Edelman had previously worked on the questionnaire of Kohberger’s legal team. He has also contributed to other high-profile cases, including the murder trial of former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke and Buffalo supermarket mass shooter Payton Gendron.
According to the New York Post, a few days back, new court documents surfaced that revealed that a pair of gray Converse sneakers with white shoelaces reportedly helped investigators link Robinson to the killing.
Tyler Robinson's sneakers link him to Kirk's case.
The report suggests that the CCTV footage captured the 22-year-old wearing the same sneakers while he moved around the campus shortly before the fatal shooting on September 10, 2025, from a rooftop. A search warrant affidavit mentioned that investigators later found a shoe impression from the rooftop that was “consistent with the shoe sole characteristics of a Converse/Chuck Taylor shoe.”
In addition, there have also been reports of fingerprints and a smudged palm print near the northeast edge of the Losee Center rooftop.
Robinson was officially charged with Kirk’s case on September 16, 2025.