Prosecutors in Utah were in court on Monday arguing that they have enough evidence to bring the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk to trial. They also asserted that he should receive the death penalty.
Erika Kirk, along with her in-laws, were in court accompanied by Donald Trump, Jr. The parents of Tyler Robinson, the defendant, were also in attendance.
Robinson, 23, has been charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 killing of the conservative podcaster and Trump loyalist. He was shot from a long range during a gathering at Utah Valley University. Robinson turned himself in for the crime a day later.
Prosecutors have alleged that Robinson confessed to killing Kirk in a note that he left for his roommate and romantic partner. The note allegedly read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Robinson has yet to enter a plea and his lawyers have not issued any statements on his guilt. But, they have sought to remove the death penalty from any prospective sentencing. They have not yet been successful in that pursuit.
The prosecution needs to show that they have grounds to believe that Robinson killed Kirk, a standard that is lower than that of a full-fledged trial where the state must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
According to Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander told Judge Tony Graf that the evidence presented will include videos of the shooting. The videos will be set up on a monitor that will prevent the press from being able to the capture them, said the judge.
The prosecution also says there is DNA evidence to link Robinson to the weapon used in the shooting, testimony from investigators, autopsy reports and witness statements. The aggravating factor, the prosecutors will argue, is that in shooting Kirk at a campus event, others were also endangered making the crime punishable by death under Utah law.
