By Nathan Frandino and Jimmy Urquhart
PROVO, Utah, July 6 (Reuters) – A Utah state investigator on Monday identified Tyler Robinson in court as the suspect who video evidence showed was on a university campus four times the day prominent U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead while debating with students.
In a key hearing in one of the nation’s highest-profile homicide cases, agent David Hull said investigators used surveillance video to piece together Robinson’s movement on September 10, 2025 after learning his identity when he told police he was willing to surrender.
Kirk was shot last year while appearing at Utah Valley University for one of his debates credited with mobilizing young voters and helping President Donald Trump win reelection in 2024.
Hull said police identified Robinson’s silver Dodge Challenger once they ran his driving license details and found he had been on the campus twice before the shooting, at the time of the shooting, and afterwards.
Utah County prosecutor David Sturgill asked Hull if he would recognize the person in the surveillance videos if he were in the courtroom, to which Hull said he could.
“I believe that Mr. Robinson is between Miss Nester and other counsel, wearing a gray suit jacket with a dark tie and a light-colored shirt,” Hull said, referring to defense attorney Kathryn Nester.
During the week-long hearing, state prosecutors are presenting evidence to show Robinson, 23, should stand trial for allegedly firing a single shot that killed Kirk at the university 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty.
Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk and other family members attended the hearing and could be seen leaving the courtroom before prosecutors showed videos of the shooting captured by bystanders, a videographer and surveillance cameras.
It was the first time Erika Kirk had been in the presence of Robinson, the man accused of driving four hours from his town of Washington to kill Kirk, 31. Members of Robinson’s family also were present as was the president’s son Donald Trump Jr.
At one point, District Court Judge Tony flinched as he watched the moment Kirk was shot. A courtroom screen was positioned so the images would not be shown on a livestream. The prosecution said the video was too graphic to be made public.
Another witness, Chris Bagley, who was an officer with the university’s police force on duty the day of the killing, said he ran to a campus building from where he believed the shot was fired and went up four flights of stairs to the roof. There, Bagley said, he saw depressions in gravel on the roof apparently made by elbows, knees and feet.
“To me, it looks like a sniper pad,” Bagley said.
Bagley said campus police video showed a person on the roof getting into position to shoot Kirk, taking a shot, then running to the northeast side of the building. The person dropped off the roof into grass below and escaped, Bagley said.
In cross-examination, Nester sought to poke holes in university security and evidence collection.
Questioned by Nester, Bagley said six campus police officers were on duty, together with Kirk’s security detail. Bagley said he saw an empty pistol holster on the ground at the top of the courtyard where Kirk was shot, but it was never recovered as evidence.
If the judge finds probable cause, Robinson would enter a plea at an arraignment that could take place the same day, and the case would be set for trial at a later date. He faces seven criminal charges including aggravated murder.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by Donna Bryson, Cynthia Osterman, David Gregorio, Will Dunham and Stephen Coates)
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