A judge in Utah is expected to decide Tuesday whether there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial against Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of fatally shooting prominent conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony that makes him eligible for the death penalty. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Robinson turned himself in a day after Kirk was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 last year. The assassination of Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of the youth advocacy group Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, rocked U.S. politics.
District Judge Tony Graf has said lawyers on both sides of the case will have a maximum of two hours each to present closing arguments Tuesday before the court takes a one-hour break. Graf is expected to issue a ruling from the bench.
Tuesday’s high-stakes hearing comes nearly two months after prosecutors laid out a detailed public reconstruction of the alleged events surrounding Kirk’s killing and presented a trove of evidence against Robinson, including surveillance footage, digital records and forensic material.
David Hull, a former State Bureau of Investigation agent, characterized Robinson’s alleged movements before and after the assassination. Hull’s testimony was accompanied by excerpts from campus surveillance footage shown in court for the first time.
Robinson arrived at the university hours before the shooting, bought a meal from a campus Chick-fil-A restaurant, and made contact with representatives for Turning Point USA, Hull testified. Robinson then changed outfits and took position on a rooftop overlooking the amphitheater where Kirk was speaking, Hull said.
In a video shown in court July 7, Robinson could be seen crouching down on the rooftop, Hull told the court. Then, after a bullet hit Kirk, Robinson could be seen darting across the roof, dropping to ground level and sprinting away on foot, the former investigator added.
Prosecutors played another video featuring partially redacted excerpts from law enforcement investigators’ interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s former romantic partner and roommate.
The day after Kirk’s assassination, Twiggs told investigators, Robinson nervously paced their apartment and expressed regret. Twiggs told investigators that he asked Robinson whether it was true that he fatally shot Kirk.
In the emotional interaction that followed, according to Twiggs, Robinson “said he wishes he hadn’t done it.”
Twiggs told investigators that Robinson said he intended to confess to his parents or go to the police. He ultimately turned himself in to law enforcement authorities later that day.
Investigators have said they found the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle — wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the Utah Valley University amphitheater. DNA from both Robinson and Twiggs was on the towel, Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina of the Utah Department of Public Safety testified July 7.
Robinson’s lawyers attempted to throw doubt on the DNA evidence and pressed a defense witness, FBI forensic analyst Amanda Bakker, on the potential for error in forensic testing and other issues.
Robinson’s defense lawyers have not provided an alternative theory for who killed Kirk.
In a charging document filed last September, prosecutors highlighted inscriptions allegedly etched on each round of the rifle, including the phrases “Hey Fascist! Catch!” and “If you Read This, You are GAY.”
Twiggs, in the recorded interview played in court, told investigators that Robinson never talked about Kirk before the shooting. The roommates-turned-partners had originally bonded over their shared love of playing video games, Twiggs said.
