By Nathan Frandino and Jimmy Urquhart
PROVO, Utah, July 6 (Reuters) – Prosecutors on Monday began laying out their case that a Utah man should stand trial for last year’s killing of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist credited with energizing young voters behind Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
In a packed Provo, Utah courtroom, Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk sat feet away from Tyler Robinson, the man accused of driving four hours from his Utah town of Washington to murder Kirk, 31, on September 10, 2025. Robinson’s family were also present.
During the week-long preliminary hearing, prosecutors must convince District Court Judge Tony Graf that probable cause exists to believe that Robinson, 23, fired the single shot that killed Kirk in front of thousands of people in Orem, Utah.
Kirk, an influential U.S. conservative, was appearing at Utah Valley University, 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City, for one of his campus debates that drew crowds and propelled him to national prominence.
Prosecutors are expected to show graphic video of the killing, and Kirk’s family may leave the courtroom when some evidence is presented, according to a person familiar with the situation.
If the judge finds probable cause, Robinson would enter a plea at an arraignment that could take place the same day, and the case would be set for trial at a later date. He faces seven criminal charges including aggravated murder.
Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty for Robinson, who was studying to be an electrician and turned himself in to police the day after the shooting.
Kirk’s killing, captured in cellphone video that spread widely on social media, is among a series of attacks targeting U.S. political figures in recent years that have fueled debate over political violence in a deeply polarized country.
He co-founded Turning Point USA when he was 18 in 2012, and the conservative youth organization became an influential force in Republican politics.
During the hearing, prosecutors were expected to present video footage that they allege shows Robinson at Utah Valley University before and after Kirk was shot.
Prosecutors also planned to offer other evidence that they allege links Robinson to the crime, including DNA from the rifle that authorities say was used in the killing, a recorded statement from Robinson’s former roommate and a handwritten message reading, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I took it.”
After the shooting, according to prosecutors, Robinson messaged the roommate, Lance Twiggs, saying, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Lawyers for Robinson are likely to highlight ballistics testing that proved inconclusive in matching a bullet fragment removed from Kirk’s body with the alleged murder weapon.
Robinson surrendered to police after his parents saw images of the gunman and confronted him, according to court filings.
ERIKA KIRK ATTENDS
Erika Kirk, who took over Turning Point USA after Kirk’s death, was in the courtroom on Monday. Kirk’s parents Kathryn and Robert were seen entering the courthouse before the hearing began.
“Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend and father. Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children,” Kirk’s parents, wife and sister said in a statement on Monday.
The defense unsuccessfully tried to ban livestream television and photography of the proceedings, arguing they were fueling sensational media coverage. Erika Kirk has called for cameras to be allowed in the courtroom to ensure transparency.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by Donna Bryson and Cynthia Osterman)
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