Hearings Debunk Conspiracy Theories in Charlie Kirk Assassination Case

Charlie Kirk’s fatal on-camera shooting ten months ago triggered an immediate surge of online speculation, conspiracy claims and social media debate following the conservative activist’s death.

This week, however, several of those claims faced renewed scrutiny during pre-trial hearings in Provo, Utah, for 23-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson.

Candace Owens, a commentator whose programs regularly draw millions of views, has repeatedly suggested she does not believe Robinson was present on the Utah Valley University campus when Kirk was shot.

That assertion appeared to be challenged early in the hearings, as prosecutors introduced multiple pieces of surveillance footage they said showed Robinson moving around the campus on the day of the shooting.

Owens, a former Turning Point USA organizer who was once close to Kirk, has also claimed she believes Kirk was not shot, instead suggesting he may have been struck by an exploding microphone.

Still, prosecutors’ presentations have so far done little to quiet broader conspiracy theories surrounding the case, including claims that Kirk was betrayed by his own security team or that a foreign government was involved.

Owens rejected an autopsy report cited by prosecutors, which concluded Kirk died from a single bullet wound to the neck, and wrote on X on Tuesday that she remained unconvinced by the surveillance evidence as well.

She argued that the person seen in the footage appeared to be “at least 6’2, possibly 6’3,” while Robinson is listed as 5’10. “I do not believe that is Tyler Robinson,” Owens wrote.

While some theories fell apart in the early hearings, other possibilities that have been peddled – such as Owens’ implication that either Kirk’s widow Erika or the Israeli government were involved – are too outlandish to even be addressed in the evidence hearings. 

The fervent nature of the case is sure to continue to ignite wild conspiracies even as prosecutors lay out their evidence against Robinson. 

Podcaster Keli Rabon, another conspiracy theorist who was present in the courthouse, told a New York Times reporter outside the hearing: ‘You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I think Charlie is still alive.’

Rabon said she traveled from Houston to see Robinson’s hearings in person, explaining that she believes Kirk is running an elaborate ‘psy-op’ with President Trump and other officials. 

She joined many true-crime enthusiasts and streamers who have grown obsessed with the case. 

Another conspiracy theorist at the hearings, Selena Armitage, told the Times she felt the need to get to the bottom of the case herself, saying: ‘I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface.’ 

In the months after Kirk was killed, footage of his dramatic death in front of a huge crowd sparked a multitude of questions, with Owens leading the charge. 

She said the lack of an exit wound out the back of Kirk’s head meant he could not have been hit with a .30-06 bullet. 

In court this week, prosecutors presented findings from Kirk’s autopsy report that showed a medical examiner formally concluded he died from a single gunshot wound to the neck. 

Conspiracy theorists also launched on a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that was unsealed in April, which revealed bullet fragments from Kirk’s body came back ‘inconclusive’ to Robinson’s rifle. 

At the time, some claimed that this was proof of a wide-ranging conspiracy that vindicated the suspect. 

However, prosecutors say they will present a ballistics expert who will explain that such a report does not exclude Robinson’s weapon, as fired bullets can often become too damaged to match on a report. 

Yet in the first two days of evidence hearings, some moments raised new questions over how the investigation was carried out. 

The prosecution’s opening witness, former Utah Valley special officer Chris Bagley, admitted that his body camera’s battery died while he was scouring the rooftop where Robinson allegedly fired the fatal shot. 

Bagley also admitted that he did not find a rifle case that Robinson allegedly carried to the roof, and that he did not know who a plainclothes officer who joined him on the rooftop was. 

He also conceded that when he saw an empty pistol holster laying in the amphitheater where Kirk was killed, he did not submit it into evidence. 

The testimony ignited fresh theories on social media, with Owens sharing a livestream of the moment with the caption: ‘Our government thinks we are ret***ed. They legitimately hate us.’ 

And despite the hearings appearing to undercut many conspiracies floating around the case, Owens made a bold prediction on Tuesday that indicates she is unlikely to yield. 

‘I’m feeling like those pesky conspiracy theorists are going to be proven right again,’ Owens said on X. 

In a raft of predictions over how the hearings will unfold, she expected that Robinson’s transgender lover Lance Twiggs – who is set to offer bombshell testimony in the hearings – ‘is going to be determined a federal asset who helped set Tyler Robinson up.’ 

She also claimed that ‘in the end, we will learn that no gun was ever fired from Losee— Charlie’s mic exploded.’

‘I’ll add that multiple decoy boys wearing maroon shirts were crawling the campus that day. If I had to guess, I’d put my money on the conspiracy theorists every single time. 

‘But at first we must be called psychopathic killers with narcissistic tendencies. Like we were during Covid and every other conspiracy we’ve been proven right on. Feds gotta fed.’