New footage of Charlie Kirk's assassination shown at suspect Tyler Robinson’s hearing
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Politics, US News, News
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Politics, US News, News
Prosecutors in Utah have shown eerie new footage of Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, moving around the Utah Valley University campus prior to and after the assassination.
Kirk, a right-wing activist and close friend of Republican leader Donald Trump, was fatally shot through the neck while hosting an open-air debate last September, aged 31.
The following day, Robinson turned himself in following encouragement from his family.
Police say the 23-year-old told his roommate he assassinated Kirk because he was against the father-of-two's controversial conservative beliefs.
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Robinson is now facing capital murder charges and a possible death sentence.
He appeared in a Provo courtroom on Tuesday (7 July) for his preliminary hearing, which will continue this week.
During the hearing, new CCTV footage seemingly showing Robinson on the grounds of Utah Valley University on the day of Kirk's death was played for attendees.
Narrating the footage, Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull explained that a vehicle understood to belong to Robinson arrived at the university at 8.30am on 10 September.
A man who appears to be Robinson could then be seen in the video wearing a red shirt and shorts walking out of the car park.
Another unnerving clip shows the same man walking up the staircase of a car park, limping.
"The shoes are the same," Hull noted on the court livestream. "He’s is wearing different clothing, and he also is walking with a gait or a limp in this video."
Another clip showed a man traversing the roof of a nearby building to where Kirk hosted his discussion, before 'crouching down and then crawling to the corner of the building', Hull continued.
The man remained on the edge of the roof until the shots were fired, at around 12.23pm, before running across the rooftop and jumping down onto a grassy area.
The agent added that the man had, earlier that day, dined at an on-campus Chick-fil-A restaurant, and made 'contact' with several representatives of Turning Point USA, Kirk's not-for-profit organisation that advocates for conservative politics at educational facilities.
District Judge Tony Graf ruled yesterday that the footage could be made public, given how widely the case garnered international attention.
Lawyers representing Robinson - who is yet to enter a plea - haven't yet addressed the charges against him in the public arena.
As the week continues, Judge Graf will determine whether prosecutors have gathered enough evidence against the suspect to move the case forward.
12pm - Kirk presents a scheduled event at Utah Valley University (UVU)
12.23pm - While taking a question on gun violence, Kirk is shot in the neck by a single bullet. Footage shows the podcaster slumped over before being carried in a car as the crowd erupts into panic.
2.40pm - President Donald Trump later confirmed Kirk’s passing on Truth Social, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.
"He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
At a press conference, authorities say they had discovered a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel, as well as some bullet casings with phrases like ‘Hey fascist, catch!’ and ‘notices, bulges, OWO, what's this?’. The latter is a reference to the furry subculture, which centres on human-like animals.
Meanwhile, the FBI releases images and video of a 'person of interest'. Tyler Robinson's mother allegedly recognises him and his parents confront him.
Later that day, Robinson turns himself in to the police.
While appearing on Fox and Friends, Trump says a suspect was in custody: “Essentially, someone that was very close to him turned him in.”
Later, authorities announce Robinson’s arrest, who, according to investigators, had confessed to his father, leading to him calling a family friend, who then called the US Marshals, who detained the 22-year-old.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, gives her first statement after her husband’s passing, saying that his movement ‘is not going anywhere’.
She adds: “You have no idea the fire you've ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
Prosecutors reveal the charges against Robinson included aggravated murder, commission of a violent offence in the presence of a child, two counts of witness tampering, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm. Robinson makes his first initial court appearance.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said prosecutors will seek the death penalty if he is convicted, adding: “I do not take this decision lightly.”
At Kirk’s memorial service on 21 September, the 37-year-old takes to the stage to pay tribute to her husband and reveal why she’d ‘forgiven’ his killer.
“My husband, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said.
"On the cross, our saviour said: ‘Father, forgive them for they not know what they do.’
"That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do."
A five-day preliminary hearing begins, where prosecutors lay out the evidence against Robinson.