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A preliminary hearing for the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk unfolded in Utah this week, offering the first comprehensive look at the evidence prosecutors say ties Tyler Robinson to the shooting at Utah Valley University last fall.
Judge Tony Graf is weighing whether there is enough evidence to send Robinson to trial, as the accused killer’s defense team works to cast doubt on the case.
The 23-year-old is facing seven charges, including aggravated murder and weapons charges, in connection with the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk during a Turning Point USA event on the university’s Orem, Utah campus that sent shockwaves through the political world.
Prosecutors have said they believe that Robinson targeted Kirk based on his political beliefs and are seeking the death penalty. He has not entered a plea.
Here’s what to know about the five-day hearings:
Roommate details suspect’s alleged confession in video
One of the most closely watched moments came on Thursday when prosecutors played a recorded law enforcement interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner, the day after the deadly shooting.
Twiggs said in the video that Robinson was “crying a little bit” and told him that “he wishes he hadn’t done it” during a conversation at the pair’s apartment in southern Utah.
Robinson’s defense team objected to portions of the recording being played openly, raising concerns that prosecutors’ attempt to portray the statement as a confession from Robinson could prejudice potential jurors and undermine his right to a fair trial.
“We are very concerned that the publication of what the state will call confessions at trial violates Mr. Robinson’s due process rights,” defense lawyer Richard Novak told the judge.
Graf ultimately ordered that some parts of the video clip be redacted before it was shown in court, to the dismay of Kirk’s family who wanted the statement played in full.
“The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted at this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to see,” Erika Kirk’s attorney Jeffrey Neiman said.
Other videos shown in court depicted the moments after Robinson, clad in a t-shirt and baseball cap turned himself in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 11, 2025 and surveillance video from campus in the hours before and after the shooting.
Utah State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) Agent David Hull testified that a car belonging to Robinson arrived at UVU around 8:30 a.m. local time and he stayed on campus for about an hour, at one point making contact with TPUSA members. He later returned on foot, had a meal at Chick-fil-A, left again and then came back wearing a different outfit.
Prosecutors also introduced text messages between Twiggs and Robinson that they say amount to a confession.
“drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” Robinson allegedly wrote in an automated message sent around 11 p.m. on the day of the shooting.
Robinson then allegedly texted that he “tried to delete” the message but that he was “ok” and “stuck in orem.”
“shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. to be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” he wrote.
“you werent the one who did it right????” Twiggs replied to which Robinson said “I am, I’m sorry,” according to the messages shown in court.
Twiggs’ account, for which he has been granted immunity from prosecution, are expected to play a central role in prosecutor’s case against Robinson if it proceeds to trial.
Kirk’s widow, family present in court room
Kirk’s widow, Erika, and his mother attended the hearings in Provo, marking the first time they had come face-to-face with Robinson since he surrendered to police.
They sat in the front row as prosecutors presented an enhanced version of surveillance footage showing Robinson’s movements on campus in the lead up to the shooting.
That version of the video was shared only in the courtroom, with Graf ruling that it could not be broadcast on a media livestream. However, the unaltered footage was shown earlier in the proceedings.
When the video depicted a man later identified as Robinson crawling across the rooftop perch where he allegedly fired a single bullet into Kirk’s neck, Erika buried her head in her mother-in-law’s arms, according to The Associated Press.
The outlet reported that the two women embraced and silently cried, holding onto each other and looking away until the video was nearly over.
The family said in a statement after the hearings concluded on Friday that the proceedings were an “important step forward in the pursuit of justice for Charlie.”
“As difficult as these last few days have been, it brings our family comfort to know that the world has witnessed the overwhelming evidence of what occurred to Charlie that day,” the statement read. “Nothing will ever undo the loss of our beloved Charlie. As this case moves into its next phase, we pray that truth will continue to be heard through a process that is fair, transparent, and grounded in the facts.”
President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., was also in attendance on Monday for the first day of the hearings.
Defense casts doubt on ballistics analysis, DNA evidence
The weeklong proceedings offered a glimpse into how Robinson’s lawyer might argue in his defense if the case goes to trial, with them attempting to sow doubt into key pieces of prosecutorial evidence, including a ballistics analysis and DNA found near the crime scene.
Forensic experts testified that Robinson’s DNA was found on the bolt-action rifle prosecutors say was used in the shooting, as well as shell casings recovered at the scene.
The suspected murder weapon was found wrapped in a towel in a nearby wooded area, and SBI Agent Jennifer Faumuina testified that collected DNA samples matched both Twiggs’ and Robinson’s profiles.
The defense team questioned the reliability of that evidence, also pressing investigators on their initial handling of the crime scene.
Robinson’s lawyers also homed in on the inconclusive results of ballistics tests on a bullet fragment found in Kirk’s body that authorities have sought to tie to the rifle their client allegedly fired.
“Saying anything but inconclusive was inappropriate,” said Samantha Karner with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Defense attorney Kathryn Nester asked Hull about a bullet that was found on campus at a different location than the alleged site of the shooting, which had reportedly been traced back to a law enforcement officer who “cleared” his weapon.
Prosecutors have also said that DNA consistent with Robison’s was found on both spent and unspent shell casings, which were inscribed with messages such as “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “If you read this you are gay, lmao.”
Media accidentally shows handwritten note
The handwritten note that Robinson purportedly left for Twiggs under his keyboard confessing to the murder captured widespread media attention on the fourth day of the proceedings, but the judge said it should not have been broadcast.
“Luna, If you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry. I left the house this morning on a mission and sent an auto-text. I’m likely dead or facing a lengthy prison sentence,” the note read in part.
A later portion read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.”
A screenshot of the note appeared on a media livestream for a few seconds despite the judge’s order that it not be broadcast, according to KSL News Radio.
The outlet reported that the camera operator quickly panned away before the judge or attorneys noticed, but defense attorneys argued the damage had already been done.
“We had earlier proceedings in this case where the cameras depicted images inside the courtroom that the court had prohibited,” Novak told the judge, requesting that cameras be barred in the future.
Graf ultimately ruled that no exhibits could be shown for the remainder of Friday’s proceedings but declined to go further.
He previously said the court was walking a “fine line” between balancing Robinson’s constitutional rights and public transparency.
Proceedings to resume in September
Graf did not make any ruling at the conclusion of the five-day hearings about whether Robinson will stand trial for aggravated murder.
Both sides are expected to make their final arguments when court returns on Sept. 1, nearly a year after the shooting occurred. The pause is intended to give both prosecutors and the defense team enough time to prepare legal briefs.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), an attorney who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, called the evidence against Robinson “damning” after attending the hearings on Thursday alongside far-right influencer Jack Posobiec.
“It contains multiple confessions by the defendant Tyler Robinson acknowledging not only that he killed Charlie Kirk, but acknowledging that he did so having planned it in advance in great detail and acknowledging at one point that he was motivated by hate,” the senator said in a video shared on the social platform X.
“It’s difficult to imagine how this results in anything other than a conviction,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed.
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