Tyler Robinson's lawyer VERY colorful track record: The famous killers she previously defended - and the legal trick that has come back to bite her

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:30, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 21:57, 7 July 2026 Prosecutors in the case against accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson cited his defense attorney's colorful track record as they sparred over allowing key evidence in his murder trial.  Robinson, 23, faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted, with his defense attorney Kathy Nester, 59, attempting to prevent key evidence from being admitted at his pre-trial hearings this week.  Nester is a veteran trial attorney with a number of infamous defendants on her resume, including former polygamous religious leader Lyle Jeffs, synagogue shooter John Earnest and Michael Kirk Moore, who was accused of issuing false Covid vaccine certificates and destroying $28,000 worth of COVID-19 vaccines. Most recently, Nester defended convicted husband-murderer Kouri Richins.  Richins was sentenced to life in prison in May after being found guilty of poisoning her husband Eric's Moscow Mule cocktail in March 2022.  During Richins' trial, Nester gave several media interviews to correct perceived 'misinformation' surrounding her high-profile suspect, saying at the time she had to do so because she believed prosecutors had failed to correct the public inaccuracies.  But Nester's words may have come back to bite her in her case with Robinson, as Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray alleged this week that she displayed a double-standard in her handling of Robinson's trial. Nester attempted to hold Deputy Utah County Attorney Chris Ballard in contempt of court for interviews he gave to TMZ, where he tried to correct false reports that the bullet that killed Kirk did not match the murder weapon.  Kathy Nester, the defense attorney for Charlie Kirk's accused killer Tyler Robinson, is a veteran trial attorney with a number of famous defendants on her resume, with one of her previous cases now raised in Robinson's case  Nester, seen with Robinson in January, was appointed as Robinson's defense attorney after previously representing other high-profile defendants  Nester previously represented convicted murderer Kouri Richins, who was sentenced to life in prison last month after being found guilty of poisoning her husband Eric's Moscow Mule cocktail in March 2022 But prosecutors argued that Nester had recently argued the opposite stance when she spoke out about Richins' case to the media.  The trial attorney is a renowned Utah litigator with over three decades' experience, and she landed two of the highest profile cases in the state's recent history largely through default.  Nester was assigned Richins' case in 2023 because she was the Summit County public defender at the time, while she received Robinson's case because prosecutors pushed for the death penalty.  Most attorneys qualified to take on a death penalty case in Utah were already assigned, leaving Nester as a remaining option among the state's experienced defense attorneys.  Greg Skordas, who helped Utah County select Robinson’s counsel, told NewsNation: 'I know she was up to her ears with Kouri Richins, but she was one of only two or three lawyers that wasn’t currently doing a death penalty case and that was still willing to take Tyler Robinson. 'I know that those are probably two of the biggest cases in Utah right now, but it’s almost by default that she got them.' Prosecutors are set to present a raft of evidence against Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson as his pre-trial hearings got underway this week Kirk at the Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, just moments before he was shot dead in front of a crowd of thousands  When Robinson was taken into custody, authorities said his construction worker father Matt convinced his son to surrender to investigators after recognizing him in surveillance images (pictured) from the day Kirk was killed  As Nester now handles Robinson's high-profile trial, she was criticized by the judge in the case for issuing too many objections to the myriad pieces of evidence they were presenting to the court.  On Tuesday, Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull testified that hours before Kirk was killed, Robinson visited the amphitheater where the influencer was preparing to speak.  Hull claimed that Robinson made contact with several members of the conservative activist's organization Turning Point USA.    Hull said that Robinson interacted with several members of Turning Point USA at the scene, before leaving.  The agent did not testify as to what Robinson said to the organization's members, but Hull added that Robinson also bought food from Chick-fil-A roughly two hours before Kirk was killed.  Hull also noted that a police officer interacted with the suspect on campus the day after the shooting, amid an intense manhunt for Kirk's killer.  A never-before-seen image allegedly showing Robinson on the UVU campus before the shooting Prosecutors say Robinson drove a grey Dodge Challenger for four hours to the UVU campus, and on Tuesday they presented never-before-seen footage of the vehicle stalking the area before Kirk's assassination Matt and Amber Robinson, the parents of Charlie Kirk's accused killer Tyler Robinson, seen arriving at court on Monday for their son's pretrial hearings. Prosecutors claimed that they told their son to turn himself in  He said Robinson returned to the UVU campus during the manhunt, but during his conversation with the police officer he set off alarm bells.  Hull said the officer had 'cop intuition' about Robinson and wrote down his license plate, which later helped investigators prove that the 23-year-old was on campus that day, he testified.  The bombshell testimony came after prosecutors shared never-before-seen footage allegedly showing Robinson prowling the UVU campus on the day of the shooting.  Robinson was seen walking with a limp in the security footage, and also visiting the campus at least four times in his Dodge Challenger car in the day before the shooting.  Earlier Tuesday, the defense was dealt a massive blow after the judge ruled prosecutors could play the never-before-seen footage of his movements on the day Kirk was killed. After months of back-and-forth over the footage, Judge Tony Graf allowed video of Robinson driving into a parking garage, walking away, returning, and leaving to be played in court. Hull testified as they played the footage, which is when he said Robinson spoke with members of Kirk's group before the shooting.  Investigators claimed to find bullets engraved with political messages in the gun Robinson allegedly used (pictured), including one reading, 'Hey fascist! CATCH! The surveillance is expected to be central to the prosecution's case at Robinson's pre-trial hearings this week, after which Graf will decide if the case will head to trial.  The 23-year-old student has remained in custody in Utah ever since his arrest 33-hours after Kirk was killed.  Prosecutors say they have compiled a slew of evidence in that time, including alleged DNA linking Robinson to the murder weapon, witness statements, and further surveillance tying him to the scene.  They are also expected to cite messages Robinson allegedly sent his transgender boyfriend on the day of the shooting, which said he 'had enough of (Kirk's) hatred' and that 'some hatred can't be negotiated out.'  Robinson has not yet pleaded in the case.