All the evidence in the Tyler Robinson case as he faces death penalty for Charlie Kirk assassination

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:17, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 19:20, 7 July 2026 Prosecutors are presenting a raft of evidence against Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson as his pre-trial hearings got underway this week.  Robinson, 23, faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of murdering Kirk at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.  The shooting in front of a huge crowd of students sparked an urgent manhunt, with Robinson arrested 33 hours later when his parents recognized him from pictures released of the alleged suspect and turned him in.  The 23-year-old student has remained in custody in Utah ever since, with a judge set to oversee a week of pre-trial hearings to determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to take Robinson to trial. At his pre-trial evidence hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors presented never-before-seen surveillance footage allegedly showing Robinson prowling the UVU campus in a Dodge Challenger on the day of the shooting.  In surveillance allegedly showing Robinson moments before Kirk was killed, the suspect was seen walking with an apparent limp - keeping his right leg straight as he climbed stairs on the way to the 'snipers perch' on a nearby rooftop.   Prosecutors say they will present a slew of such evidence over the week, also including DNA linking Robinson to the murder weapon, autopsy findings, witness statements, and further surveillance of him at the scene.  They are also expected to cite messages Robinson allegedly sent his transgender boyfriend on the day of the shooting, which said he 'had enough of (Kirk's) hatred' and that 'some hatred can't be negotiated out.'  Prosecutors are set to present a raft of evidence against Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson as his pre-trial hearings got underway this week Charlie Kirk speaks to a crowd during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 before he was shot dead At Robinson's pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors presented never-before-seen surveillance footage allegedly showing Robinson on the day of Kirk's killing - including him walking with an apparent limp as he made his way to the rooftop  However, prosecutors hit a hurdle on the first day of the evidence hearings on Monday as Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf rejected surveillance footage put forward by the state, as he said he was 'concerned' it had been edited.  The footage had been altered with circles around items of interest and zooms at key moments, which prosecutors said were 'only added to make it easier to view.'  The early ruling came as the first cop at the scene, Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley, also admitted in his testimony that he did not have bodycam footage from the day of Kirk's assassination to backup his testimony, because his camera 'ran out of batteries.'  Despite hitting early hurdles in the evidence on Monday, prosecutors only need to convince Graf of probable cause in taking Robinson to trial, a lower bar than the 'beyond reasonable doubt' standard needed to ultimately convict him.  When Robinson was taken into custody, authorities said his construction worker father, Matt, convinced his son to surrender to investigators after recognizing him in surveillance images.  The images of the alleged suspect showed a man in a dark graphic T-shirt, dark hat and jeans from the UVU campus.  According to prosecutors, the father texted Robinson and said, 'Tyler, is this you? This looks like you.'  When Robinson was taken into custody, authorities said his construction worker father Matt convinced his son to surrender to investigators after recognizing him in surveillance images (pictured) from the day Kirk was killed  Previously released footage allegedly showed Robinson stalking the UVU campus before the shooting  Authorities are also expected to cite previously released surveillance footage, showing the suspect climbing onto the roof of the Losee Center building before opening fire moments later Prosecutors say Robinson drove a grey Dodge Challenger for four hours to the UVU campus, and on Tuesday they presented never-before-seen footage of the vehicle stalking the area before Kirk's assassination Robinson allegedly confessed to his father when confronted and initially said he would 'rather kill myself than turn myself in,' but he was later convinced to confide in a family friend who worked with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.  The FBI said it received over 7,000 tips and leads in the first hours of the probe, and investigators rapidly compiled surveillance and forensic evidence from the scene.  Prosecutors say Robinson drove a grey Dodge Challenger for four hours to the UVU campus, and on Tuesday they presented never-before-seen footage of the vehicle stalking the area before Kirk's assassination.  Authorities are also expected to cite previously released surveillance footage, showing the suspect climbing onto the roof of the Losee Center building before opening fire moments later and then running away.  A never-before-seen image allegedly showing Robinson on the UVU campus before the shooting Investigators claimed to find bullets engraved with political messages in the gun Robinson allegedly used (pictured), including one reading, 'Hey fascist! CATCH! At Robinson's first pre-trial hearing on Monday, Bagley - the first officer at the scene - testified that he was near the stage when Kirk was hit by a single bullet in the neck, sending the crowd scrambling for safety.  Bagley described the moments as 'chaotic,' but said he quickly realized there was a raised roof across from where Kirk was shot that could have been where the assassin fired from.  He testified that he raced to the rooftop of the Losee Center building and found a 'sniper pad,' with the gravel on the roof imprinted from where the suspect had laid down to take the fatal shot.  In cross-examination from Robinson's attorney Kathryn Nester, Bagley said he reported finding an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled.  Bagley admitted he did not take the holster into evidence, and said he did not have any bodycam footage from that day because his camera ran out of batteries.  When investigators scoured the scene, they later discovered a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel left near the campus.  Engraved on unfired bullet casings found with the rifle were political messages that read, 'Hey fascist! CATCH!', and 'If you read This, you are GAY. Lmao', officials said.  In the chaotic manhunt for Kirk's killer, authorities issued a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest - and arrested two other people during the 33-hour search. They were quickly released without charges.  According to court documents filed when Robinson was arrested, investigators also found a trove of messages he sent to his partner that referenced the shooting.  Robinson texted his transgender partner, Lance Twiggs, 'I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it', according to authorities  Matt and Amber Robinson, the parents of Charlie Kirk's accused killer Tyler Robinson, seen arriving at court on Monday for their son's pretrial hearings. Prosecutors claimed that they told their son to turn himself in  Robinson allegedly told his transgender boyfriend Lance Twiggs, 'I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it.'  The 23-year-old allegedly told Twiggs to find a note he left under his keyboard, which read, 'If you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry. I left the house this morning on a mission, and set an auto text.' 'I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out,' Robinson wrote, according to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.  Authorities previously claimed Robinson's family told investigators that the suspect had become increasingly political in the years before the shooting, per Robinson's arrest affidavit.  This included telling his family at a dinner that Kirk would be speaking at UVU and that he didn't agree with his conservative views.