A key hearing kicked off Monday in Charlie Kirk's murder case in Utah, where prosecutors aim to convince a judge they have enough evidence to try his accused killer and seek the death penalty. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The five-day preliminary hearing will mark the most significant presentation of evidence in the case so far — and the first time that Kirk's parents and widow will be in the courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson.
Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10, 2025 assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and ally of President Donald Trump, at Utah Valley University. Robinson turned himself in a day after the shooting.
Prosecutors allege he confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it."
Robinson has not yet entered a plea, and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. They have, however, sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.
The proceeding will resemble a minitrial, but prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors have to prove guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt."
Once it's finished, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine whether to send the case to trial.