ELECTIONS, POLITICS, & GOVERNMENT
Utah County leaders ask state lawmakers for $2 million to help with Tyler Robinson case
Feb 9, 2026, 1:01 PM
Front entrance to the Utah County Sheriffs Office and jail. (Steve Griffin, Deseret News)
(Steve Griffin, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah County leaders are now asking state lawmakers for $2 million in taxpayer money to help with the costs associated with the Tyler Robinson case.
Robinson is the man accused of shooting political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in September 2025. He’s currently facing a capital murder charge and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
State Representative David Shallenberger, R-Orem, has now filed a request to his colleagues to provide $2 million in state taxpayer dollars to help with the costs of both defending and prosecuting Robinson.
Shallenberger and Utah County Government Administrator Ezra Nair presented the request to the Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill on Monday.
As part of their presentation, Nair read a joint statement from the Utah County Commissioners out loud.
“This case is especially complex due to the level of public interest involved. However, public interest cannot outweigh the constitutional protections guaranteed to both the victim and the accused,” the statement said. “Assuring those prosecutions are upheld requires appropriate resources. This is not a standard case or even a standard capital case. The very public nature of this case requires unprecedented attention to detail.”
Nair continued, “We’re facing increased costs for significantly increased security measures for all parties, multiple Rule-8 certified attorneys who command higher rates, a jury selection process that could take months due to pretrial publicity and additional resources to manage press briefings and unique legal complexities with this case.”
Nair told lawmakers the county is handling five capital cases on behalf of the state, including Robinson’s, and he said those each cost $1.6 million more per inmate than standard cases, according to a recent Legislative report.
Nair said Utah County spends over $13 million per year on public defense and an additional $16 million per year on prosecution costs. And as currently constituted, Utah County taxpayers pay all of that.
Those costs all come out of the county’s general fund, which is funded through property taxes, Nair said.
While explaining why they want the $2 million, Nair noted UVU, while in Utah County, is technically state-owned property.
Lawmakers will decide whether or not to approve the request when they finalize the budget near the end of the General Legislative Session in the first week of March.
