Tyler Robinson to stand trial on all counts

PROVO — Tyler Robinson was bound over to stand trial on all the charges filed against him, including aggravated murder, for the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.

Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, had a tissue in her hand and could be seen at times wiping away tears, bowing her head as a friend put a hand on her shoulder for comfort, or at other times embracing Charlie Kirk's mother, Kathryn Kirk, who was sitting next to Erika.

"Today's decision, which comes nearly a year since Charlie was taken from us, marks an important step in our family's pursuit of justice for him. Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie's murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father. We are grateful to all who have continued to pray for us, support us, and stand with us through a year of unimaginable grief. As the next phase of the judicial process begins, our family remains united in our love for Charlie, our commitment to the pursuit of justice, and our prayer for a transparent and timely process," the Kirk family said in a prepared statement following Tuesday evening's ruling.

Immediately after being bound over to stand trial, Robinson was arraigned. His attorneys entered a "not guilty" plea to each of the seven counts against him. The next step for Robinson will be a pre-trial conference, which was scheduled for Oct. 23. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf told attorneys for both sides that he would like to set trial dates at that time.

Graf on Tuesday, following a daylong hearing that marked the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, bound Robinson on the charges of: aggravated murder and discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, first-degree felonies; two counts of obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies; two counts of witness tampering, third-degree felonies; and committing a violent offense in front of a child, a class A misdemeanor. He also ordered Robinson to stand trial on the aggravating circumstances and sentencing penalty enhancements he is charged with: victim targeting, knowingly putting others at great risk of injury or death, and knowingly committing a violent offense in front of children.

Graf emphasized that his ruling was for the purpose of the preliminary hearing only, during which all evidence was viewed in a light favoring the prosecution.

Robinson, 23, is charged with killing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. Next week will mark one year since Kirk's death. He was killed on the campus at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA rally.

Prosecutors have stated that they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted of aggravated murder.

On Tuesday, the Utah County Attorney's Office and Robinson's defense team presented their closing arguments to the court, wrapping up the preliminary hearing that began in July. During closing arguments, prosecutors described the evidence against Robinson as "overwhelming and devastating."

"This man, Tyler Robinson, shot and killed Charlie Kirk because he disagreed with him," Utah County prosecutor Ryan McBride told the court while pointing directly at Robinson.

McBride says surveillance videos, DNA, admissions by Robinson himself and circumstantial evidence — which provided Robinson with the motive, means and opportunity to kill Kirk — all combined to provide "overwhelming" evidence in the state's case.

"There can be no doubt this is the man who shot Charlie Kirk," he said.

As for the question of whether the state met its burden to prove Robinson knowingly put others at risk when he allegedly shot Kirk — a required element in seeking the death penalty — McBride said common sense needs to be used.

"You can't shoot a rifle into a crowd of 3,000 without putting others at risk," he argued.

But defense attorney Staci Visser countered Tuesday that prosecutors failed to show that the shooter's actions put anyone else at UVU that day at great risk for injury or death. There was one shot and one victim, she argued, adding that the state was trying to "shoehorn" their case to fit the aggravating requirement.

"There's no evidence anyone else was threatened," Visser said.

Richard Novak, in his closing arguments, said prosecutors failed to show that Robinson targeted Kirk because of political expression. Prosecutors countered that Robinson did target Kirk, and that Robinson not only knew there were children present at Kirk's rally but that he put them and many others at risk.

"The law does not reward an assassin who shot into a crowd of people and happened to hit his target," said Chad Grunander, chief deputy for the Utah County Attorney's Office. Furthermore, he contends that Kirk was targeted by Robinson because "he hated Charlie Kirk. He hated what he stood for and he 'took him out' because of it."

On top of all the other evidence, Grunander noted that Robinson turned himself in.

"Actions speak louder than words. He actually turned himself in. Why? Because he did it," Grunander said. "The state would take this case to trial tomorrow if we could."

At one point during Novak's closing statements, while arguing that there was no evidence presented as to what Robinson's state of mind was when he allegedly killed Kirk, he mentioned that Kirk "spoke hatefully" of certain people during his rallies. The comment caused Erika Kirk to become visibly emotional in the gallery and prompted the Kirk family attorney, Jeff Neiman, to address the court at the end of the day.

"Charlie was the opposite of hate," he said sternly, adding that Kirk's message was rooted in faith and freedom. "Firing a bullet into a crowd, that is hate."

Neiman made his comments while asking the judge that court proceedings move "swiftly" and that a trial date be set at the next hearing.

The Utah County Attorney's Office also stated that it "takes great exception" to Novak's comments.

In July, prosecutors presented evidence during a week-long hearing that they believe ties Robinson to Kirk's assassination. The evidence included campus surveillance video, messages from Robinson himself claiming he shot Kirk, and a recorded interview with Robinson's roommate and lover, Lance Twiggs, who confirmed what Robinson told him about the crime.

Robinson's defense team called three forensic experts from the FBI and ATF to testify in an attempt to cast doubt on the reliability of DNA testing, arguing that test results are subjective. They also argued that much of the evidence the state presented is hearsay and will be inadmissible at trial.

The day began in a closed-door session as attorneys, mainly for the defense and the media, debated whether a recent court filing by Robinson should remain redacted.

In its latest request to keep cameras out of the courtroom, Robinson's defense team filed a motion that includes a redacted paragraph. The public version of the motion includes several blacked-out lines that come after this: "Additional evidence of bias developing as a result of the widespread publication of this case can be tracked in real time."

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the redacted portion included a website address to an online gambling site that is taking bets on whether Robinson will be convicted by a certain date. Robinson's defense team feared releasing it to the public would jeopardize the integrity of the jury pool.

But after hearing arguments on the motion behind closed doors, Graf ruled that the full motion could be made public and rejected an additional request by the defense, "in the interest of transparency," to file a substitute motion instead that would not name the website.

Over the weekend, Robinson's defense team also filed a "post-preliminary hearing status report" outlining the immense volume of evidence attorneys have received and need to review. The defense team has broken down the evidence into three categories: "Documentary, Forensic and Miscellaneous Digital Evidence;" "Digital Evidence Requiring Specialized Processing and Analysis;" and "Forensic Discovery."

"While the defense has been diligently working its way through the disclosures, it is an inherently time-consuming process that is, in this instance, further complicated and slowed by a number of factors," the report states.

"The discovery produced in this matter includes a substantial volume of digital evidence that requires forensic processing before substantive review can be completed. Specifically, on March 13, the defense received a hard drive containing approximately 12.1 terabytes of digital forensic data, with 6,425 folders and 613,023 files. This production includes extractions of six mobile devices, fourteen forensic images of computer hard drives, and seven warrant returns or account records produced by third-party service providers."

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