A Utah judge ruled Friday that Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard violated a pretrial publicity order by giving media interviews to TMZ, USA Today, PolitiFact, and Fox News in the murder case against Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Judge Tony Graf, who oversaw the case, concluded Ballard didn't act out of "malicious desire" to defy the court or taint the jury pool, according to MS NOW.
However, Ballard's public comments on Robinson's guilt, in combination with the strength of the prosecution's case, exceeded what the court allowed.
This all created "a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing the proceedings," according to reports.
Judge Graf held Ballard in contempt but declined to impose the more severe sanction sought by defense lawyers, consequently stripping prosecutors of the death penalty option.
The controversy stemmed from a defense filing claiming ATF investigators couldn't conclusively match the murder weapon, though prosecutors noted the ATF also hadn't excluded it.
The judge called the requested sanction "grossly disproportionate to the misconduct."
A five-day preliminary hearing begins July 6, where prosecutors will present ballistics, surveillance, and digital evidence.
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