A Utah judge ruled on Tuesday that Tyler Robinson will stand trial on murder charges for allegedly killing Charlie Kirk, allowing the case to advance past a key preliminary hurdle nearly a year after the conservative activist was assassinated.
Judge Tony Graf found that state prosecutors had shown probable cause, allowing the case to advance to trial. The judge issued his ruling at the conclusion of a court session Tuesday, which continued the preliminary hearing that was largely held over a week in early July before a nearly two-month recess to prepare for closing arguments. The order Graf read from the bench outlined the evidence presented during the hearing, ruling that the prosecution had met the threshold of probable cause and can still pursue the death penalty. Graf also reiterated that his ruling was not a definitive finding of guilt, which will have to be determined by a jury during a future trial.
“Viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, this evidence is sufficient at this stage to support a reasonable belief that defendant is the individual who shot and killed Charlie Kirk. Accordingly, the state has demonstrated probable cause as to the identity and homicide elements of count one,” Graf said, announcing that Robinson will stand trial on the aggravated murder charge.
“Whether the state can prove the aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt remains for trial. Count one is bound over for trial,” Graf later added.
During the trial, Robinson will face multiple charges for his alleged assassination of Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University in September 2025. The maximum punishment for the charges against Robinson includes the death penalty.
Utah 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. During the preliminary hearing, the prosecution presented various pieces of evidence connecting Robinson to the Kirk killing, including text messages with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s former roommate and lover, in which Robinson appeared to confess to fatally shooting Kirk.
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM TYLER ROBINSON’S PRELIMINARY HEARING IN CHARLIE KIRK MURDER TRIAL
Robinson’s lawyers have attempted to undermine several of the exhibits offered by the prosecution, including questioning the accuracy of DNA and its ability to link suspects to crime weapons, which could be a key part of their argument in the trial. They have also made a concerted push to get the death penalty off the table, even after Graf denied an earlier effort to take away the potential for capital punishment.
The trial is expected to be one of the most closely watched criminal cases in recent years, after the public killing of Kirk sent shock waves through politics last year. A date for the trial has not yet been set.