Utah judge to weigh whether Tyler Robinson case will go to trial in Charlie Kirk killing
Tyler Robinson returns to a Utah courtroom Sept. 1 for a probable-cause hearing that could send his case to trial or alter its course, a court spokeswoman said. Judge Tony Graf Jr. will decide whether prosecutors have shown enough evidence to support an aggravated murder charge that carries a possible death sentence, the spokeswoman said.
Robinson, 23, of Washington, Utah, is accused of firing a single shot that killed 31-year-old Charlie Kirk during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10, 2025, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say the shot struck Kirk in front of about 3,000 eyewitnesses.
Defense attorneys have argued prosecutors have not met the probable-cause standard for aggravated murder, contending the shot traveled over the crowd and struck only Kirk. “We’re at a preliminary hearing stage, so we’re at a very low burden,” defense attorney Skye Lazaro, who is not connected to the case, told Fox News Digital, adding she expects the case to be bound over for trial.
Prosecutors have presented surveillance video, ballistic evidence, an alleged handwritten confession and witness statements, and said the suspected murder weapon, a .30-06 Mauser, bore Robinson’s DNA and belonged to his grandfather. Court documents and prosecutors allege Robinson confessed to several people, including his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs. “This is likely as straightforward a bindover decision as this Court will ever see,” prosecutors wrote in court filings.
The court held a weeklong hearing in early July and allowed both sides to file briefs before Tuesday’s expected decision, the court spokeswoman said. She added Judge Graf may or may not hold an arraignment after the probable-cause ruling; if he does, it would be the first time Robinson is asked to enter a plea. A source close to Kirk’s family told Fox News Digital that Kirk’s widow and his parents plan to attend the Sept. 1 hearing. Lazaro said she expects substantial additional pretrial litigation on expert witnesses and forensic evidence regardless of Tuesday’s ruling.
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