A request was made Monday by state Rep. David Shallenberger for the state Legislature to allocate $2 million to Utah County to pay for the prosecution and the defense, calling it “the most high profile political assassination in our State’s history.” 

Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, faces seven criminal charges, including aggravated murder, after he allegedly shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University in Orem. The state is seeking the death penalty. 

Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran described the case as unprecedented, considering its high-profile nature and the amount of evidence that has resulted from the killing, which occurred in front of thousands of potential witnesses. 

Between funding the county attorney’s team, a veteran defense team —  which was assigned to Robinson because it’s a capital case — and the numerous billing hours, court proceedings have already proved costly. 

Utah County allocated $1 million to pay for case expenses in its 2026 budget, but Beltran said the county has already spent approximately half a million since the case started in September and estimates it will cost $4 to $5 million in full. 

“I think the last number I saw was 8,000 pieces of evidence,” he said. “Thousands of it is film and record. So discovery has been very timely. Both sides have spent weeks and weeks on discovery.”

The second-year commissioner believes the Utah County tax payers should not be on the hook for all of the fees. 

“We feel that the state should have no problem helping us, and not just foot the Utah County taxpayers with the bill themselves,” Beltran said. “And then we also need to realize …  all of our cases are on behalf of the state of Utah. They’re not on the behalf of Utah County.”

That’s not to say Utah County is unable to pay for it, according to Beltran. He said the county has plans in place and could continue to function without the aid. But he argued the whole Utah community should help pay for the case because that’s what the case warrants.

“Should Utah County’s 700,000 people be the only ones paying for it? It’s one of those cases where it’s significant for Utah’s legal system,” he said. “It’s significant for justice, for both victim and accused. It needs to be done, right? It’s very expensive, and so we’re just seeing if the state is willing to be a partner, to represent Utah as a whole.”