Is Charlie Kirk's Alleged Killer Getting the Death Penalty? How Capital Punishment Would Work in the Case of Suspect Tyler Robinson

Donald Trump and other Republican figures are pushing for the death penalty if Tyler Robinson is convicted of assassinating Charlie Kirk.

There's a long road ahead before Kirk's murder case could end in an execution, however, capital punishment is still legal in the state of Utah — so a torturous ending is definitely on the table for the suspected killer.

The 22-year-old will formally be charged on Tuesday, September 16, after being arrested last week for the murder of Kirk — who was shot dead with a singular bullet to the neck while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10.

In Utah, inmates on death row can be executed by either a firing squad or lethal injection.

The last prisoner to be killed by a firing squad was Ronnie Lee Gardner at the age of 49 in June 2010.

He was executed at Utah State Prison for murdering a man during an attempted escape from a courthouse in 1985.

A journalist who observed the execution told TMZ the process was quick and not too graphic — with five law enforcement volunteers setting themselves up behind a wall with five slots.

Each official positioned their rifle to aim at a white paper target on Gardner's chest over his heart, as the criminal was strapped into a chair with a hood over his head. Gardner had no final words.

The firing squad was ultimately ordered to pull the trigger in unison on the count of two, though "one was either a hair early or late," according to the witness. One of the five rounds was a dummy in order to prevent authorities from knowing who fired the deadly shot(s).

Lethal injection is the preferred option for death row in Utah, as a firing squad is only authorized if the former is somehow unavailable.

Taberon Honie was executed by lethal injection just last year, marking the first capital punishment in Utah since Gardner's firing squad death 14 years prior. He faced the death penalty for murdering and raping his ex-girlfriend's mother, Claudia Benn, in 1998.

In Utah, authorities use a lethal dose of pentobarbital, which is administered into the prisoner's veins through an IV while the inmate remains strapped to a gurney.

While Robinson hasn't been convicted or sentenced yet, both Trump and Utah Governor Spencer Cox have expressed their support for capital punishment in the case of Kirk's murder.

Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray would be the man in charge of seeking the death penalty against Robinson — and will face pressure from several right-wing politicians to do so, former Utah County Attorney David O. Leavitt told TMZ.

Making the death penalty more likely, Gray is a supporter of capital punishment.

Explaining the requirements for an inmate to land themselves on death row, Leavitt said it could be done if a murder was carried out in a way that harmed many or if the crime was committed in a depraved and inhumane manner.