The father of the man accused of attacking Charlie Kirk is reportedly running a thriving family business while Utah taxpayers brace for a possible $10 million defense bill for his son.
Matthew Robinson is back commuting to and from his $600,000 Utah home and his prosperous masonry business after appearing in court last week to support his son Tyler Robinson during a preliminary hearing where a mountain of evidence was presented against him, according to the New York Post.
Despite showing up to the hearings for Tyler Robinson, Utah taxpayers are reportedly on the hook for his son’s defense bill, which could end up costing a staggering $10 million, experts told the newspaper.
High-performance defense attorneys were hired to defend the 23-year-old suspect after a judge declared him “indigent” — and his lawyers have already asked the state of Utah to fork over $2 million in additional funding for the trial.
Meanwhile, Matthew Robinson appears to have since returned to his normal routine of driving his GMC pickup truck to and from an unmarked facility located just outside of St. George, Utah.
The enormous bill stems from the extensive time and expert witness testimony needed to defend a suspect in such a high-profile capital case.
While Utah taxpayers brace for the staggering expense, customers continue to shop at Matthew Robinson’s stone and marble business, which reportedly relies on word-of-mouth recommendations and close relationships with repeat clients, sources told the New York Post.
Matthew Robinson rarely speaks about his son to locals, and most customers have remained loyal to the family business despite the 23-year-old facing charges in Kirk’s case, one of his colleagues told the newspaper.
In the past, Matthew Robinson was reportedly sued by his brother and co-founder of the company, Clint Robinson, who accused him of embezzling $100,000 over nearly two years, a 2014 lawsuit shows.
Clint also claimed that Matthew had traded work for personal favors, hid financial records, and once said they would go to jail if authorities ever saw their books, court records reveal.
After Clint demanded multiple restraining orders, the brothers ultimately reached a confidential settlement.
During last week’s preliminary hearing, prosecutors presented a trove of evidence against Tyler Robinson so that Judge Tony Graf can determine if there is sufficient probable cause to move the case forward to trial.
At the conclusion of last week’s proceedings, Judge Graf scheduled the next hearing for September 1 — when he will listen to oral arguments presented by both sides — at which point he is expected to make a decision.
Tyler Robinson could face the harshest penalty if convicted.
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
