Against a drab cinderblock wall at the Utah County Jail, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson stared into the camera, a green anti-suicide vest hanging from his pale frame. The hearing, held remotely before a district court judge, was his first court appearance since being charged with the September 10 murder of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead in front of a horrified crowd at Utah Valley University. Robinson looked impassive, nodding slightly as the judge read the charges against him. At a press conference two hours earlier, Utah County prosecutors had announced they would seek the death penalty.

The imperative to execute the killer had been firmly entrenched from the start. No sooner was Kirk declared dead than conservative pundits and politicians began calling for blood, wi

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