Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative influencer Charlie Kirk earlier this month, appeared virtually in court on Sept. 29 for a largely procedural hearing during which the judge said he may attend the next hearing in person.
Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, a felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering, and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. The murder charge carries the death penalty, prosecutors have said.
Kirk was shot to death on Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege that Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. Robinson’s defense attorney told the judge on Sept. 29 that there is a large amount of digital evidence to be submitted into discovery in the case and suggested his team needs time to go over the evidence.
The judge set the next court hearing for Oct. 30, and his attorneys confirmed that Robinson will appear physically in court on that date.
“These proceedings will be open to the public,” Utah Fourth District Judge Tony Graf said during the hearing. “It is the standing order of this court that Mr. Robinson shall be allowed to appear in person so he can fully engage with his attorneys and participate in these legal proceedings.”
Authorities arrested Robinson when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting. Prosecutors have since presented text messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing.
A note that Robinson allegedly left for his romantic partner before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, and he wrote, “I’m going to take it,” according to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.
Robinson’s mother allegedly told investigators that her son had turned left politically in the past year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights, Gray said. Officials have said that bullets that were recovered in the case included references to video games and memes and that one bore the words “Hey fascist, catch!”
Robinson’s mother recognized him when the FBI released a picture of the suspect following Kirk’s assassination, before his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said at a news conference.
The prosecutor said his family convinced the suspect to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in.
In the days after Kirk’s assassination, Trump adviser Stephen Miller said that the administration would be working to dismantle the “domestic terror movement,” including what he said are “organized doxing campaigns, the organized riots, the organized street violence, the organized campaigns of dehumanization, vilification, posting people’s addresses, combining that with messaging that’s designed to trigger and incite violence.”
Ahead of the court appearance on Sept. 29, officials in Utah County announced that Kathryn Nester was appointed to be Robinson’s defense attorney.
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
