A Utah judge began the final day of a slate of preliminary hearings in the Charlie Kirk murder case on Friday by barring reporters from showing exhibits presented in court, after a damning letter allegedly written by Tyler Robinson was errantly broadcast on Thursday.
Robinson faces charges in the Sept. 10, 2025, killing of Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University, and Judge Tony Graf is set to determine whether prosecutors have shown enough evidence to go to trial after the weeklong preliminary hearing concludes.
During Thursday’s hearing, a letter allegedly written by Robinson, in which he appeared to confess to killing Kirk, was briefly broadcast by media cameras, despite the court ruling that the letter could not be filmed. Officials had said the broadcast of the letter was an error, but Robinson’s lawyers argued it should be grounds for barring media cameras entirely from Friday’s proceedings.
While Graf found that the flashing of the letter violated court orders limiting what the media may broadcast from the courtroom, he declined to boot media cameras from the hearing, instead barring only the broadcast of any exhibits presented in court.
“Effective immediately, members of the media shall no longer capture or broadcast any exhibits displayed by the parties during today’s proceedings,” Graf said in his ruling. “The court finds this sanction to be proportional and appropriate in light of the violation of the court’s prior order.”
According to the image that was briefly flashed on the screen Thursday, the note was addressed to Robinson’s roommate and lover Lance Twiggs, and the letter to Twiggs referred to him by the name “Luna.”
“If you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry,” the letter says. “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it.”
Final arguments in the preliminary hearing will not occur until a separate, standalone hearing on Sept. 1. Graf will then decide whether there is probable cause to proceed to trial.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and other friends and family of the late conservative activist were present at the hearing throughout the week, sitting in the same courtroom as Robinson. The Kirk family said in a statement upon the conclusion of Friday’s hearing that it had marked “an important step forward in the pursuit of justice for Charlie.”
“Our family is grateful for the prayers, support, and kindness that has been extended to us, especially through these unimaginably painful and emotionally demanding proceedings,” the family’s statement said.
“As difficult as these last few days have been, it brings our family comfort to know that the world has witnessed the overwhelming evidence of what occurred to Charlie that day,” the statement continued. “Nothing will ever undo the loss of our beloved Charlie. As this case moves into its next phase, we pray that truth will continue to be heard through a process that is fair, transparent, and grounded in the facts.”
DAMNING TYLER ROBINSON LETTER ACCIDENTALLY FLASHED DURING CHARLIE KIRK MURDER HEARING
During the expected trial, Robinson will face multiple charges for his alleged assassination of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in September 2025. The maximum punishment for the charges against Robinson includes the death penalty, which prosecutors have said they intend to pursue. Robinson’s lawyers attempted to get the possibility of the death penalty off the table during a hearing last month, but Graf denied the motion.
Robinson’s trial is expected to be one of the most closely watched criminal cases of the year, after the public killing of Kirk sent shockwaves through politics last year. Authorities say Robinson claimed Kirk spread “too much hate,” and that his family said Robinson espoused increasingly left-wing views, including on transgender ideology, in recent years.