Utah prosecutors in the Charlie Kirk assassination case against Tyler Robinson are preparing to call some of the people closest to him as witnesses as his defense attorneys push to delay proceedings and raise new challenges to key forensic evidence.
In a Friday court filing, attorneys for Robinson, who is accused of killing Turning Point USA founder Kirk on Sept. 10, revealed that prosecutors intend to call Robinson’s parents and his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, to testify at the preliminary hearing.
That hearing is currently scheduled for May 18, although Robinson’s legal team is seeking to delay it by at least six months, citing the scale of evidence they must review.
Defense attorneys said they received more than 600,000 files during a March 12 discovery meeting, with additional materials still outstanding.
“Discovery in this case is incomplete, voluminous, and the processing of it is complex,” the defense wrote, adding that a forensic expert would need months to analyze the evidence.
At the same time, Robinson’s team is attempting to cast doubt on one of the prosecution’s key forensic components: the bullet used in the killing.
According to court filings from the defense, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives analysis comparing a bullet jacket fragment recovered during Kirk’s autopsy with a rifle obtained by law enforcement was ultimately inconclusive. The fragment was too damaged to definitively match any specific firearm, a limitation that is not uncommon in high-velocity firearm cases.
The defense has suggested that this “inconclusive” result could be “exculpatory.” But prosecutors argue the finding does not undermine the broader case, and the filing itself indicates the comparison simply could not yield a definitive match due to the condition of the fragment.
Robinson’s emphasis on that point is likely to face scrutiny as the case progresses, particularly as prosecutors build their case through witness testimony and other forms of evidence, and given the evidence of one unfired bullet casing that read: “hey fascist!”
Meanwhile, Robinson’s attorneys are also seeking to restrict public visibility into the case. At an April 17 hearing, the court will consider a defense motion to ban cameras from future proceedings.
The defense argues that extensive media coverage could prejudice Robinson’s right to a fair trial, saying it plans to present examples of “harmful and prejudicial” reporting.
The case has already seen early legal clashes. In February, Judge Tony Graf rejected a defense effort to disqualify prosecutors over an alleged conflict of interest tied to a prosecutor whose daughter attended the event where Kirk was killed.
Graf dismissed the argument, finding no factual basis for bias or constitutional concern.
Robinson faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University.
The defendant previously expressed that opposition to Kirk’s conservative activism drove him to the point of conspiring to assassinate the TPUSA founder, according to evidence taken from his home by authorities. In a note found by Twiggs under Robinson’s keyboard, Robinson allegedly wrote that “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.”
JUDGE REFUSES TO RESTRICT PUBLIC ACCESS TO EVIDENCE IN CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION CASE
When Twiggs asked why he did it, Robinson allegedly said, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
The charges make Robinson eligible for the death penalty if convicted.