Utah judge to decide if evidence suffices to try man accused of killing activist Charlie Kirk

Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, said they will call a final witness on Friday in an effort to create doubt about the prosecution’s case before a trial decision is made. The preliminary hearing, which began earlier this week, will conclude with the witness testimony, after which District Judge Tony Graf is expected to issue a ruling following oral arguments scheduled for after Sept. 1.

Robinson, who turned himself in a day after the September 10 shooting at Utah Valley University, has not entered a plea. Prosecutors have presented ballistics evidence involving a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk’s body, but defense attorney Michael Burt argued the tests were inconclusive. > "Saying anything but inconclusive was inappropriate," said Samantha Karner of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The prosecution also introduced a recorded interview with Robinson’s roommate, Lance Twiggs, in which Twiggs said Robinson expressed regret the day after the shooting. Additionally, investigators cited a Discord chat message posted by Robinson an hour before surrendering, in which he claimed responsibility for the incident. The defense objected to the public release of these statements, contending they could be portrayed as a confession and jeopardize a fair trial.

Prosecutors argue that the shooting endangered others at the campus event, an aggravating factor that could make the crime eligible for the death penalty under Utah law. They also assert that Robinson targeted Kirk because of his political views, seeking possible sentence enhancements. Twiggs testified that while Robinson occasionally discussed politics, he never mentioned Kirk before the shooting and did not discuss gender or LGBTQ issues.