Public defenders for a man accused of the unprovoked stabbing death of a visiting graduate student in downtown Chicago in 2021 paused their fight over facial recognition technology, after new evidence showed it was a moot issue Friday.

Attorneys for defendant Tony Robinson, 45, had argued in August that the technology isn’t reliable and may have tainted the case.

They’re now dropping that strategy after new evidence provided by the state’s attorney’s office showed police did not rely on a facial recognition-generated mugshot when presenting an array of photos to a witness.

It was believed to be the first time facial recognition technology was challenged in court in Cook County, and possibly Illinois.

Though it’s no longer factoring into this case, assistant public defender Quandee Semr

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