Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 in front of a massive crowd at Utah Valley University.
Just days after the young father of two was pronounced dead, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson was ushered by his parents to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, where he turned himself in.
‘I think my battery died.’
Robinson, a Utah State University dropout whom Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said had become “more political” in the lead-up to the assassination, was subsequently charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice as well as with witness tampering for allegedly telling his boyfriend to delete his text messages and to stay quiet if questioned by police.
The suspected assassin has yet to enter a plea.
On Monday, day one of the five-day preliminary hearing in Robinson’s murder case, prosecutors began laying out the evidence that they believe is sufficient both to convince state District Judge Tony Graf to try the case and to ultimately warrant the death penalty.
The court heard from former Utah Valley police officer Chris Bagley, who described the “crime scene,” specifically the roof of the Losee Center building where he found a red-and-black screwdriver “that looked out of place” and an apparent “sniper pad.”
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Trent Nelson-Pool/Getty Images
FBI Director Kash Patel claimed just days after Kirk’s assassination that DNA on the screwdriver was “positively processed for the suspect in custody.”
In addition to describing the spot that apparently had a clear view of where Kirk had been seated, Bagley recalled how he discovered a shoe print in the grass on the northeast side of the building after learning on the basis of surveillance footage that somebody ran along the edge of the rooftop, then dropped down.
One of Robinson’s attorneys, Kathryn Nester, provided some indication of the strategy the defense may adopt, casting doubt on whether Robinson could actually be identified as the gunman.
Nester pressed Bagley on his discovery of an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled and police mistakenly thought they had apprehended the gunman. Bagley expressed uncertainty about whether the holster had been fingerprinted and what ultimately happened to it.
Nester later asked Bagley about his body camera footage, of which he had roughly 27 minutes for Sept. 10. Bagley said, “I think my battery died. I don’t know.”
David Hull, a former Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent who led the initial probe in the assassination and now works for the Utah Department of Public Safety, also took the stand on Monday, touching on some of the evidence prosecutors want to introduce — including a video of the shooting taken by a female witness.
While footage of the assassination was played on Monday in court, it was not shown publicly.
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray previously alleged in court documents that DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle — as well as the spent round and three unspent rounds found with the rifle, in addition to the towel in which it was wrapped.
This week, prosecutors are expected to show a video statement from Robinson’s apparent trans-identifying homosexual lover, Lance Twiggs, where Twiggs discusses messages he exchanged with the suspected assassin, CNN reported.
In the original charging documents, Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray provided alleged text messages between Twiggs and Robinson where the suspected assassin allegedly admits to killing Kirk, discusses picking up his rifle, and provides an apparent motive, stating, “I had enough of his hatred.”
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