Videos trace Kirk assassination suspect in Utah court hearing

Video played in a Provo courtroom mapped Tyler Robinson’s movements to the rooftop where Charlie Kirk was shot. The five-day preliminary hearing, which began Monday, asks Fourth District Judge Tony Graf to decide whether there is probable cause to send the 23-year-old to trial on aggravated murder charges in the Sept. 10, 2025, killing at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Investigators showed Robinson walking around campus in shorts and a T-shirt, buying a meal at Chick-fil-A and making contact with people connected to Kirk’s organization before returning in different clothes. The sequence is visible on surveillance and rooftop video, ending with Robinson climbing onto a roof, firing a single shot from about 140 yards away and then fleeing on foot. One video shows Robinson going over a railing onto the rooftop, crouching down and running to a site overlooking where Kirk was speaking.

The prosecution has built its case around that movement trail, along with DNA and other evidence linking Robinson to the scene and to the weapon. Defense lawyers have pushed back by challenging the reliability of the DNA and hearsay the state wants the judge to consider. Graf previously allowed prosecutors to use recorded statements from Robinson’s former roommate, Lance Twiggs, instead of calling Twiggs to testify in person, a ruling that strengthened the state’s ability to present his account without live cross-examination.

The hearing drew a crowded and emotional courtroom. Erika Kirk attended, and Donald Trump Jr. was also present. Some family members left before graphic shooting video was shown. It was the first time Erika Kirk had been in the same room as Robinson since the killing.

Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative activist, was killed at a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted, but the hearing itself is only to determine whether the state has enough evidence to move forward to trial.