last six to seven months and initially proposed a tentative trial start date in the third quarter of 2029, saying that setting a firm date could create  false precision  and jeopardize their client's constitutional rights.

The other side:

In a new court filing obtained by Fox News, Kirk's widow called the defense's timeline  grossly out of line  and asked the court to schedule the trial at the earliest practicable date in 2027, citing the emotional toll on the Kirk family and a report that the defense had already cost taxpayers approximately $1.6 million in just its first year.

 Every additional day of delay carries the weight of all that Charlie's murder has taken from his family, especially his two young children who were just three and one-year-old when their father was murdered and would be seven and five years old by the time a verdict is handed down under the Defense's proposed schedule ,  the filing reads.

Prosecutors sought a date of Jan. 31, 2028, to start what their scheduling memo suggests will be a 17-week trial.

What's next:

Even after Graf sets a trial start date, additional hearings are expected before jury selection would begin.

RELATED: Charlie Kirk death: Where the case stands 1 year after his death

Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah Valley University

Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, speaks before Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) gives remarks at a campaign rally at Arizona Christian University on July 31, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Anna Moneym Expand

The backstory:

On Sept. 10, 2025, Kirk was speaking to a crowd of about 3,000 people during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University when investigators claimed Robinson fired a single shot from a building about 140 yards away, striking Kirk in the neck and killing him.

Robinson was arrested as a suspect in Kirk's murder on Sept. 12, 2025.

A family member of Robinson's reached out to a family friend, who contacted law enforcement and reported Robinson had  confessed to them or implied  that he was the shooter.