In the heart of Provo, Utah, the courtroom drama surrounding Tyler Robinson, who stands accused of attempting to assassinate Charlie Kirk, intensifies as legal proceedings continue. Robinson is scheduled to make another court appearance today, where his defense team aims to persuade the judge to shield parts of his upcoming preliminary hearing from public scrutiny.
The judge will be deliberating over two critical defense motions. First, Robinson’s attorneys are pushing to close segments of the hearing and seal certain pieces of evidence from public view. Second, they seek to sanction prosecutors for discussing the case outside the confines of the courtroom.
The legal team representing Robinson—comprising Kathy Nester, Michael Burt, Richard Novak, and Staci Visser—has argued that public access should be restricted to prevent exposure to testimony or exhibits that might be deemed inadmissible at trial. However, the specifics of which testimonies or pieces of evidence they want concealed remain undisclosed in court documents, prompting prosecutors to contend that this lack of clarity should result in the motion’s dismissal.
In a previous court session on December 11, 2025, Robinson was charged with the murder of Charlie Kirk, as documented in the Fourth District Court in Provo. The Salt Lake Tribune’s Rick Egan captured the proceedings.
Prosecutors have indicated that their evidence includes a diverse array of materials such as records from the Discord app, text messages, various written or recorded statements, videos depicting the incident, and a note. These exhibits play a pivotal role in painting a comprehensive picture of the events leading up to the alleged crime.
According to court filings, some of the exhibits prosecutors plan to present include records from the communications app Discord, text messages, written or recorded statements, videos of the shooting and a note.
Robinson, 22, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk, 31, at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk was answering a question from the audience at a Turning Point USA event in front of roughly 3,000 people when a sniper’s bullet struck him in the neck.
Judge Tony Graf Jr. previously rejected another defense motion to ban news cameras from the courtroom.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point Action, speaks during a campus meeting at the University of Arizona in Tucson on Oct. 17, 2024. (Olivier Touron/AFP)
Legal analyst Randolph Rice told Fox News Digital previously that the motion to have part of Robinson’s preliminary hearing held in private is a “strategic move” aimed at minimizing damage to his reputation in front of the potential jury pool.
“A preliminary hearing is not a trial, so prosecutors are often permitted to introduce certain evidence, hearsay statements, police summaries, or investigative details that may never be admissible before the actual trial jury,” he said. “The defense wants to limit public dissemination of that information to avoid tainting the future jury pool.”
A ladder and rooftop ledge lead to the roof of the Loose Center at Utah Valley University, with no security gate in place. (Stepheny Price/Fox News Digital)
The second motion is asking Graf to sanction prosecutors for doing media interviews after the defense questioned ballistics testing in court documents.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray’s office countered that when speaking about the issue, his prosecutors “set the record straight” and did not violate any court rules.
Robinson’s defense lawyers, in a court filing, asserted that “the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson.”
Deputy County Attorney Christopher Ballard, in an opposition filing, called the claim misleading and “misstated” and noted it had gone viral and fueled conspiracy theories before anyone from his office spoke out against it.
An aerial view of Utah Valley University campus shows the suspected movements of Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk, based on court documents, video from the scene and law enforcement conversations. (Fox News Digital)
“The ATF was unable to identify or exclude the bullet as having been fired from the rifle,” he wrote, emphasizing the missing information in italics.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during his “American Comeback Tour” appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“Defendant reinforced this misleading inference by following it up with, ‘the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence,’” he added.
In response, members of the prosecution team attempted to provide more context in public interviews, explaining the ATF’s conclusions while noting the defendant was innocent until proven guilty, Ballard wrote.
UVU students pause to reflect as they look over the spot where Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 17, 2025. The college campus reopened and classes resumed after being closed for a week. (Matthew Finn/Fox News)
Graf eventually unsealed the ATF report in order to give the public direct access to the source material.
If convicted, Robinson could face the death penalty.
Robinson surrendered to authorities in southern Utah less than two days after the slaying.
Prosecutors have alleged he confessed to friends and family. He is being held without bail and has not yet entered a plea.
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