Charlie Kirk’s Family Confronts Accused Assassin for the First Time

PROVO, Utah — In an emotionally charged moment, the family of Charlie Kirk confronted his alleged killer for the first time during a preliminary hearing in Utah. This session, marking the start of a week-long legal examination, unfolded in a tense courtroom setting on Monday.

Tyler Robinson, 23, had already taken his place in the courtroom, awaiting the entry of media personnel shortly before 9 a.m. Clad in a gray suit paired with a pink shirt and black tie, Robinson sat shackled at the wrists and ankles. As the hearing progressed, video footage depicting the tragic death of Kirk was presented to the judge and attorneys. Robinson, however, remained impassive even as the shocking sound of the gunshot echoed through the room.

Agent David Hull from the Utah State Bureau of Investigation took the stand, providing evidence through various videos. These included harrowing visuals of Kirk’s demise, shown privately to the court but audible to those present. Notably, two videos captured the chilling moment a sniper’s bullet hit Kirk in the neck, accompanied by sounds that resonated throughout the courtroom.

During one particularly jarring video, Judge Tony Graf Jr. visibly recoiled, flinching at the sound of the gunshot. In stark contrast, Robinson did not display any outward signs of disturbance as the powerful footage played out.

Kirk’s family had already left the courtroom before they were played. They were expected to receive warnings before graphic evidence would be introduced and left twice ahead of mentions of the assassination itself.

For much of the rest of the hearing, Erika Kirk and her in-laws, Rob and Kathy Kirk, sat next to one another, watching the proceedings closely, occasionally exchanging looks or glancing down. Other relatives present included Erika’s sister, Tonya, and niece and nephew.

At another point with Kirk’s family out of the courtroom, Hull also testified about the autopsy report, which listed Kirk’s death as a homicide by a gunshot wound to the neck. During that testimony, Robinson’s mother leaned over to her husband and held her hand on his shoulder. 

The Kirks also had some high-profile supporters join them near the front — including Donald Trump Jr., his wife Bettina, and conservative commentators Jack Posobiec and Brandon Tatum.

Robinson’s parents, who usually sit in the front row, were in the fourth row Monday with other relatives.

The first witness of the day was Officer Christopher Bagley, now a member of the Spanish Fork Police Department. He was working at Utah Valley University when Kirk was shot and killed during a Turning Point USA event there on Sept. 10, 2025.

He testified that he believed he heard a rifle shot — not a pistol shot — from the direction of the Losee Center. He said he reached that conclusion after seeing an empty handgun holster on the ground amid the early chaos and looking up to find that the Losee Center rooftop had a clear line of sight to where Kirk was speaking.

He went to the Losee rooftop, where he found a black and red screwdriver and impressions in the gravel that he described as what looked like a “sniper’s pad.”

He also said he reviewed surveillance video showing the suspect on top of the roof, and he found footprints in the grass where the suspect dropped down and scuff marks on the roof above them. Defense attorney Kathy Nester only got about 10 minutes of cross-examination in before the recess for lunch, but she asked Bagley if his police report from the day mentioned a direction the shot came from.

It didn’t, he said. He also didn’t know what happened to the handgun holster.

As prosecutors planned to show some UVU surveillance video, Robinson’s defense objected. While Graf had overruled most of their objections throughout the day, he sustained this one on the grounds that the video, due to edits including face blurs, zooms and red circles, had not been properly authenticated and could not be played.

The video is expected to be introduced later after prosecutors said they planned to provide an unedited version.

Hull was the second of four witnesses prosecutors said they planned to call to the stand Monday. He is expected to resume testimony Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. MT.

Other video shown Monday included a vehicle alleged to be Robinson’s coming and going from a house near the UVU campus after midnight on Sept. 11 — about 12 hours after Charlie Kirk’s murder on Sept. 10.

As News Media previously reported, Robinson also allegedly had an encounter with law enforcement in the area hours after the shooting.

At some point during the week, the court is expected to hear a previously recorded statement from Robinson’s former lover Lance Twiggs, who prosecutors allege received a written confession after the crime.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea. He could face the death penalty if convicted of the top charge against him, aggravated murder.