Graphic evidence shown in Charlie Kirk killing hearing as judge weighs trial

Prosecutors showed Judge Tony Graf multiple videos of the Charlie Kirk shooting in a Provo courtroom while keeping the most graphic footage out of public view. The preliminary hearing is set to run through Friday, and the Utah County Attorney’s Office must show enough evidence to send 23-year-old Tyler Robinson to trial on aggravated murder and six other counts.

The split-screen display inside 4th District Court kept the most graphic footage from public view while allowing Graf to watch the shooting video from several angles, including spectator footage, Turning Point USA video and Utah Valley University security-camera footage. He said Kirk and his family deserved “respect and dignity.”

Erika Kirk and Donald Trump Jr. were in the courtroom as prosecutors laid out their probable-cause case. Robert Kirk and Kathryn Kirk also attended, sitting in the same room as Robinson for the first time. Erika Kirk later left before some of the most graphic testimony, along with other members of the Kirk family, as the hearing moved into evidence surrounding the Sept. 10, 2025, killing at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

Former Utah Valley University police officer Christopher Bagley testified that he found an apparent “sniper pad” on a rooftop near the shooting scene, with markings that suggested someone had been lying prone there with a clear line of sight to Charlie Kirk. Utah Department of Public Safety Agent David Hull outlined the campus layout and the chaotic response after the shooting. He told the court that Washington County authorities had informed him Robinson turned himself in on the evening of Sept. 11, 2025, and identified him by name. Hull also identified Robinson in the courtroom.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. They are expected to present more law-enforcement video and a recorded statement from Robinson’s roommate, and the case also includes a note and texts in which Robinson allegedly said he had the opportunity to kill Charlie Kirk and did so because he had “enough of his hatred.”