Tyler Robinson Murder Trial: Surveillance Footage Shows Accused's Movements Before Kirk Shooting
New campus surveillance videos shown in court reveal Tyler Robinson scouted Utah Valley University hours before allegedly shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk from a rooftop.
Accused scouted campus hours before fatal rooftop shooting, investigator testifies
Tyler Robinson arrived at Utah Valley University in shorts and a T-shirt, ate at a Chick-fil-A, and made contact with members of Charlie Kirk's organisation — before changing clothes and allegedly shooting the conservative activist from a rooftop, an investigator testified Tuesday in a Provo, Utah courtroom.
According to 6abc.com, former State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull described Robinson's alleged movements on 10 September before and after Kirk was killed, as prosecutors screened previously unseen campus surveillance footage. Robinson first appeared on campus roughly four hours before the shooting and returned multiple times, Hull said — including when he allegedly climbed to the roof to fire, and again the night after Kirk's death.
In one video shown to the court, Robinson climbs over a railing onto a rooftop, crouches, and runs toward a position overlooking where Kirk was speaking. After the shooting, Hull testified, Robinson runs back across the roof, drops to the ground, and flees on foot.
Investigators recovered the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — wrapped in a towel in nearby woods. DNA analysis of the towel matched two individuals: Robinson's roommate, and a second profile very likely belonging to Robinson himself, Jennifer Faumuina of the State Bureau of Investigation testified.
Death penalty on the table
Prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty and are working to persuade Judge Tony Graf that sufficient evidence exists to send Robinson, 23, to trial on an aggravated murder charge. Robinson has not yet entered a plea, and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence, though they have sought — so far without success — to have the death penalty removed as a sentencing option.
The prosecution contends the shooting endangered others attending Kirk's campus event, an aggravating circumstance that can make a crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements on the allegation that he targeted Kirk on account of his political views.
Kirk, 31, was an ally of President Donald Trump and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a group credited with mobilising the conservative youth vote in Trump's second-term election campaign. Hull testified that during one of Robinson's several appearances on campus that day, the defendant visited the amphitheatre where Kirk was later shot and made contact with Turning Point USA representatives. Hull did not detail what was said during that interaction or whether Kirk's security team was present.
Confession note and text message cited
Prosecutors allege Robinson left a written note for his roommate — who was also his romantic partner — stating: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it." He also sent a text message saying he targeted Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred," prosecutors have said.
Robinson's defence team pushed back on the suggestion that he was motivated by hostility toward Kirk's politics. Defence attorney Richard Novak sought to block prosecutors from introducing a statement outlining the traditional Christian values of Turning Point USA. "This doesn't say anything about Mr Robinson's state of mind," Novak argued. "I don't think that this court should be deciding — based on the record before it — where, if at all, politics and religion intersect."
Judge Graf ruled the statement relevant and said it would be "provisionally admitted," with a final ruling to follow at a later date.
DNA and crime scene challenges
Defence attorney Kathryn Nester questioned Hull's handling of the crime scene on the day of the shooting and raised queries about a bullet found at a different campus location from the alleged firing position. Hull explained that bullet was traced to a law enforcement officer who had "cleared" his weapon, ejecting an unused round. A handgun in a backpack was also recovered at the scene, he said.
Robinson's attorneys also challenged the DNA evidence, using testimony from an FBI analyst to argue that the presence of a person's DNA on an object does not necessarily indicate that person touched it.
Lower evidentiary threshold at preliminary hearing
This week's preliminary hearing represents the most substantial presentation of evidence in the case to date. The proceeding resembles a mini-trial but operates under a lower standard of proof than a jury trial — prosecutors must show only that reasonable grounds exist to believe Robinson killed Kirk, rather than proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Legal experts say that means prosecutors should have little difficulty advancing their case to trial.
Kirk's parents, Kathryn and Robert, and his widow Erika attended the courtroom proceedings for the first time since the case began. Donald Trump Jr., who said Tuesday that Kirk was one of his closest friends, was also present, as were Robinson's parents, Matt and Amber Robinson.
Two Utah County residents, Denae Branch and Jean Rivera, queued outside the Provo courthouse around midnight to secure seats among the limited public gallery. Both women said they were in the crowd when Kirk was shot and have thought about it every day since.
"It feels like a lot of the world just kept spinning and we're still dealing with the trauma of it," Branch said. "Our hearts and minds are still trying to process it and, yeah, it kind of helps being here."
Rivera arrived wearing a shirt reading "FREEDOM" — identical to what Kirk wore on the day he was shot — but was told she could not wear it inside the courtroom.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)