Tyler Robinson, 23, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk last year, appeared for the first time in court for his preliminary hearing. Where Utah judge Tony Graf will determine whether or not Robinson will stand trial.
The hearing began yesterday with Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, in attendance. This was the first time she was around her husband’s killer since his arrest last year. At one point during the witness testimonies, Kirk left the courtroom.
Former Utah Valley University Officer Christopher Badgley described what he saw during the shooting.
“People were screaming, standing up and starting to run in all different directions away from the center of the tent,” Badgley said. “I asked dispatch to get on the camera system and to see if anybody was on top of the Losi building during the time of the incident.”
The conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA was hosting an event at Utah Valley University when he was fatally shot in the neck on Sept. 10, 2025.
Surveillance video captured footage of what is believed to be Robinson on the roof of a building. Badgley testified that the markings he found on the roof showed someone sitting in a sniper-like position.
“You’ve got markings of elbows, knees and feet, to where somebody was in the line of sight of where Charlie’s tent was,” Badgley explained.
The day after the shooting, Robinson surrendered himself to the police.
Robinson’s defense team has stated they plan to call three forensic experts to testify. With the DNA evidence they have collected and the statement from his former roommate citing a confession from Robinson, prosecutors aim to seek the death penalty.
Former prosecutor Joey Jackson stated in an interview with KSL that “the judge just has to hear legally sufficient evidence of probable cause.”
