PROVO, Utah (AP) — For five days, prosecutors presented what they said was overwhelming evidence against the man accused of killing conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, while defense attorneys worked to sow doubt about DNA analysts' findings and other witnesses.
But it will still be several weeks before a judge in Provo decides whether Tyler Robinson must stand trial on an aggravated murder charge for the Sept. 10 assassination
of Kirk at Utah Valley University. That's because attorneys on both sides will present final arguments Sept. 1 after submitting legal briefs to State District Judge Tony Graf.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea, and his attorneys are seeking to get the death penalty taken off the table. Robinson turned himself in a day after the shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who was credited with helping galvanize young voters behind him in the 2024 election.
Here are the key takeaways from the preliminary hearing so far.
Kirk, 31, was killed as he spoke to a crowd of thousands on Sept. 10. Prosecutors showed several videos they said show Robinson on campus that day.
Former State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull narrated the videos, including one showing a man he said was Robinson buying food at Chick-fil-A and making contact with people from Kirk's organization.
Hull said Robinson returned in different clothes hours later to shoot Kirk from a rooftop, and prosecutors showed video of a man climbing onto a campus building. In the video the man crouches down and runs to a site near the edge. After the shooting the man runs back across the roof, drops to the ground and flees on foot.
Prosecutors played a recording of Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner Lance Twiggs on Thursday. In it Twiggs says Robinson told him “he wishes he hadn't done it” the day after Kirk was killed.
Prosecutors also shared messages from a Discord chat that they said was between Robinson and friends. In it a man prosecutors identified as Robinson says: “Hey guys I have bad news for you all. it was me at UVU yesterday. Im sorry for all of this. Im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments. Thanks for all the good times.”
Prosecutors also said Robinson left a note for Twiggs that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Defense attorneys unsuccessfully fought against the public release of the statements from Twiggs and the chat room messages. They argued that prosecutors would characterize the material as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
Investigators found the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — wrapped in a towel in the woods near campus.
DNA on the towel matched to two people, Jennifer Faumuina with the State Bureau of Investigation testified: one was Robinson’s roommate, and the other was very likely Robinson.
FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker testified about the process she used to run the testing, including rerunning the tests after Twiggs provided a DNA sample for comparison. Because the two lived together, Twiggs' DNA was expected to be found on items from the home like the towel, Bakker said.
Robinson was found to be a “possible contributor” of the DNA on the towel and a screwdriver found on the rooftop where the shot was fired, she said. U.S. Department of Justice policy is that examiners do not use language like “absolute identification” or “reasonable degree of scientific certainty,” Bakker said.
Defense attorney Michael Burt cast doubt on Bakker's conclusions. He questioned her and other forensic specialists extensively about the limitations of DNA testing, including situations where DNA might not be found or results might be misleading.
“She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,” Burt concluded.
The issue will likely come up again if the case goes to trial. Forensics expert Lawrence Quarino, who is not involved in the case, said law enforcement agencies use “extremely reliable” tests to determine the probability that a person matches with DNA found at a crime scene.
Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents, Kathryn and Robert Kirk, attended each day, though they sometimes left the room before graphic evidence was presented.
One particularly emotional moment happened Friday, when the court played an enhanced and zoomed-in version of campus surveillance video.
Erika Kirk watched intently as a person said to be Robinson was seen running across the roof. When the figure dropped to a crawl near the edge, she turned and embraced her mother-in-law, who was crying. They held each other and buried their faces in each other's arms until the video was almost over, while Robert Kirk rubbed Kathryn's back.
Robinson's parents also attended each day, sitting a couple of rows away from the Kirks. Tyler Robinson was quiet and maintained a stoic demeanor throughout.
Donald Trump Jr. was in court for the first few days, and conservative activist Jack Posobiec also attended.
Fourteen seats in the courtroom were reserved for the public, on a first come, first served basis.
The limited space had some camping outside the courthouse, and folding chairs, sleeping pads and blankets littered the entrance each day.
Nguyen Weeks traveled from Northern California to attend but did not get a seat the first two days. On Wednesday she was there at 2 a.m. to score the first spot in line. Weeks said she wanted to watch “how justice happens.”
Tiani Shoemaker drove about an hour from Salt Lake City on Friday to attend. She said she was there to show support to Kathryn Kirk — she was able to give a Kirk family security staffer a hat with the words “love like a mother” and a note of condolences — and also to see a bit of history in the making.
“This really is like the whole world is focused on little Provo, Utah, right now,” Shoemaker said.
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Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press journalists Ty ONeil, Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, and Chris Weber in Los Angeles contributed.
