Charlie Kirk’s Family Faces Accused Killer for First Time in Court

PROVO, Utah — Charlie Kirk’s relatives saw the man accused of killing him in person for the first time Monday, as a Utah courtroom opened what is expected to be a weeklong preliminary hearing.

Tyler Robinson, 23, was seated in the courtroom before reporters were permitted inside at about 8:55 a.m. Dressed in a gray suit, pink shirt and black tie, he had restraints on his wrists and ankles. Later, as videos of Kirk’s fatal shooting were played for the judge and attorneys, Robinson displayed no obvious reaction when the sound of the deadly gunshot echoed through the courtroom.

Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull testified while introducing multiple videos, including footage of Kirk’s death that was not displayed publicly in court but was shown to the judge and lawyers on both sides. Two videos were described as capturing the instant a sniper’s bullet hit Kirk in the neck, and the audio was audible to members of the press.

Judge Tony Graf Jr. visibly flinched and pulled back from the screen when the shot sounded in one of the recordings, but Robinson remained motionless through both videos.

Kirk’s family had exited the courtroom before the footage was played. They were expected to be alerted in advance of graphic evidence and left twice before testimony or material referencing the assassination itself.

During much of the remaining proceeding, Erika Kirk sat alongside her in-laws, Rob and Kathy Kirk, following the hearing intently. At times, they exchanged quiet looks or looked down. Other family members in attendance included Erika’s sister, Tonya, as well as her niece and nephew.

At another point with Kirk’s family out of the courtroom, Hull also testified about the autopsy report, which listed Kirk’s death as a homicide by a gunshot wound to the neck. During that testimony, Robinson’s mother leaned over to her husband and held her hand on his shoulder. 

The Kirks also had some high-profile supporters join them near the front — including Donald Trump Jr., his wife Bettina, and conservative commentators Jack Posobiec and Brandon Tatum.

Robinson’s parents, who usually sit in the front row, were in the fourth row Monday with other relatives.

The first witness of the day was Officer Christopher Bagley, now a member of the Spanish Fork Police Department. He was working at Utah Valley University when Kirk was shot and killed during a Turning Point USA event there on Sept. 10, 2025.

He testified that he believed he heard a rifle shot — not a pistol shot — from the direction of the Losee Center. He said he reached that conclusion after seeing an empty handgun holster on the ground amid the early chaos and looking up to find that the Losee Center rooftop had a clear line of sight to where Kirk was speaking.

He went to the Losee rooftop, where he found a black and red screwdriver and impressions in the gravel that he described as what looked like a “sniper’s pad.”

He also said he reviewed surveillance video showing the suspect on top of the roof, and he found footprints in the grass where the suspect dropped down and scuff marks on the roof above them. Defense attorney Kathy Nester only got about 10 minutes of cross-examination in before the recess for lunch, but she asked Bagley if his police report from the day mentioned a direction the shot came from.

It didn’t, he said. He also didn’t know what happened to the handgun holster.

As prosecutors planned to show some UVU surveillance video, Robinson’s defense objected. While Graf had overruled most of their objections throughout the day, he sustained this one on the grounds that the video, due to edits including face blurs, zooms and red circles, had not been properly authenticated and could not be played.

The video is expected to be introduced later after prosecutors said they planned to provide an unedited version.

Hull was the second of four witnesses prosecutors said they planned to call to the stand Monday. He is expected to resume testimony Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. MT.

Other video shown Monday included a vehicle alleged to be Robinson’s coming and going from a house near the UVU campus after midnight on Sept. 11 — about 12 hours after Charlie Kirk’s murder on Sept. 10.

As INC News previously reported, Robinson also allegedly had an encounter with law enforcement in the area hours after the shooting.

At some point during the week, the court is expected to hear a previously recorded statement from Robinson’s former lover Lance Twiggs, who prosecutors allege received a written confession after the crime.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea. He could face the death penalty if convicted of the top charge against him, aggravated murder.