Trial Cursor — Where The Case Is Right Now
:::caution Legal Disclaimer Tyler Robinson is charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent. Nothing on this page states as fact that any living person committed a crime, destroyed evidence, or acted improperly. Court filings in this case are subject to a gag order and sealing, so the public record is incomplete by design. :::
Where The Case Stands Right Now
As of August 31, 2026, State of Utah v. Tyler Robinson, Case No. 251403576, is in the gap between the close of the preliminary hearing and the decision on whether the case is bound over for trial.
| Court | Fourth District Court, Provo |
| Judge | Tony F. Graf Jr. |
| Case number | 251403576 |
| Last completed stage | Preliminary hearing, July 6-10, 2026. The State rested on July 10. |
| Current stage | Bind-over briefing. |
| Next date on calendar | September 1, 2026 — bind-over oral argument |
| Trial date | None set |
| Custody status | Held without bail since September 2025 |
| Publicity posture | Broad gag order since December 16, 2025; key forensic material sealed |
What That Means For Everything In This Section
This is the single most important fact for reading the rest of this section fairly, and it is stated on every page here.
The case has not been bound over. Most of the steps this section describes are trial-phase or post-bind-over steps. Expert notice is not due. Motions in limine are not due. Spoliation is a trial remedy. An alternative-perpetrator notice is filed after arraignment on an information, not before a probable-cause finding.
So when a page here says a step is "not visible on the public record," that is a statement about timing as much as about strategy. A step that is not yet due has not been missed.
The steps that are genuinely available now, and that would be visible if taken, are the discovery-side ones: records demands, subpoenas duces tecum to private parties, motions to compel, and sanctions practice. Those are the pages worth reading first.
The Cursor Moves
When the bind-over ruling issues, the cursor moves and roughly half of this section changes status at once:
- If bound over — arraignment on the information, a scheduling order, Rule 16 discovery in full, expert notice deadlines, motions in limine, suppression hearings, then jury selection. Nearly every "still fully open" row in this section becomes live and dated.
- If not bound over — the charges fail at probable cause and the entire section becomes a historical record of a case that ended before trial.
Stage-By-Stage Position
| # | Stage | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Killing and scene handling | Sept 10-20, 2025 | Complete — scene altered before defense access |
| 2 | Charging and first appearance | Sept 16, 2025 | Complete |
| 3 | Early pretrial dockets | Sept 23, Nov 20, 2025 | Complete |
| 4 | Gag order | Dec 16, 2025 | Complete |
| 5 | Sealing fight over the ATF report | Mar 10, 2026 | Complete |
| 6 | Camera and publicity motions | May 8, 2026 | Complete |
| 7 | Contempt ruling | June 2026 | Complete |
| 8 | Preliminary hearing | July 6-10, 2026 | Complete — State rested |
| 9 | Bind-over briefing and argument | through Sept 1, 2026 | ← the cursor is here |
| 10 | Arraignment and scheduling order | If bound over | Not reached |
| 11 | Discovery, expert notice, motions in limine | If bound over | Not reached |
| 12 | Suppression hearings | If bound over | Not reached |
| 13 | Trial — guilt phase | No date | Not reached |
| 14 | Trial — penalty phase | No date | Not reached |
| 15 | Appeal | — | Not reached |
Related
- Days in Court — every reported court date
- Preliminary Hearing transcripts
- How the files here track each stage
- The checklist
:::danger Theoretical Exercise Only This page is a theoretical exercise. It is a written simulation of how an idealised defense attorney might approach this case. We make no claim that there is any problem with the current defense attorney, with any member of the defense team, or with any decision they have made.
Real capital defense is conducted under a gag order, with sealed filings, and on the basis of full discovery that the public has never seen. Counsel of record know facts we do not. A step described here as "not on the public record" may already have been taken privately, may have been considered and rejected for good reason, or may not yet be due at this stage of the case. Silence in the public record is not evidence of a failure.
Nothing here is legal advice, a criticism of any licensed attorney, or an allegation of professional misconduct. :::
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