A man named Tyler Robinson, who is accused of murder, showed up in court through a video call on Monday, September 29.
Even though the judge wanted him to be there in person, Tyler Robinson stayed in jail. The reason he wasn’t in the courtroom wasn’t explained.
However, his three lawyers were there. One of them even defended Lyle Menendez in his first trial. The jury couldn’t agree if Lyle was guilty, so the trial ended without a decision.
The main lawyer for Robinson is Kathryn “Kathy” Nester. She used to be in charge of the Federal Defender offices in Salt Lake City and San Diego.
Now, she’s working on another important case. She’s helping defend Kouri Richins, a woman from Utah who is accused of killing her husband.
Nester asked Richard Novak and Michael Burt to join her team.
Burt has worked on some famous cases. He defended Lyle Menendez in his first trial. The jury couldn’t decide if Lyle and his brother Erik were guilty of killing their parents. Burt also represented Eric Robert Rudolph, who planted a bomb at the Olympics in Atlanta, and Richard Ramirez, a serial killer.
Novak used to be a lawyer for the government and also worked as a referee for the Los Angeles Superior Court, focusing on cases involving young people.
It’s not clear how much the lawyers will be paid, but the county has set aside $1 million for the trial.
In Utah, lawyers who defend people in murder trials have to meet certain requirements. This is to make sure the defendants have good lawyers and to avoid having to do the trial again, which can be long and expensive.
Novak and Burt were allowed to work on the case in Utah even though they are from California.
