Moment Tyler Robinson's mom's mask finally slips in court... as family secrets of alleged Charlie Kirk assassin spill out: Neighbors reveal their intimate acts for Mormon parents

By LUKE KENTON, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 21:24, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 21:24, 9 July 2026 For a brief moment, Amber Robinson smiled. The fleeting glimpse of normality came as she walked and talked with her husband, Matt, toward Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday morning, returning for the second day of a five-day hearing to decide whether her son Tyler will stand trial for the murder of Charlie Kirk. But as she approached a procession of waiting news cameras, her smile vanished. Inside the courtroom, where even the smallest reaction from the defendant’s family risks becoming part of the spectacle, the Robinsons have practiced restraint. They have sat poker-faced through testimony that appeared graphic enough to make even Judge Tony Graf flinch from the bench and caused Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, to leave the courtroom in tears. The stakes could not be higher: prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against 23-year-old Robinson. Yet neither parent has made any visible effort to catch their son’s eye, nor has he turned around once to look for them. The first break of emotion came on Wednesday, when Amber was seen swallowing hard, blinking repeatedly and staring down as a police officer testified about interviewing her after Robinson’s arrest.  She appeared to be fighting back tears. The Daily Mail was among only a small number of outlets with a reporter inside the courtroom. Despite the global attention surrounding the case, just 13 journalists were granted seats in the designated media area.  Tyler Robinson's parents, Matt and Amber, head into court for the second day of their son's murder hearing. Amber lets out a faint smile as they arrive  It was a fleeting moment of normalcy - as soon as Amber saw the bank of news cameras, her smile vanished Away from the watching eyes of the courthouse, however, in the small southern Utah community of Washington, where the Robinsons raised Tyler and his two younger brothers, a fuller portrait has begun to emerge of a family trying to preserve what remains of normal life under the shadow of a case that stunned the nation.  Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, longtime neighbor Kristin Schwiermann said that while the Robinsons have remained outwardly functional in the 10 months since Kirk’s death - still going to work each day and venturing around the neighborhood - the strain upon them is clear. Schwiermann, who has known the family for nearly 20 years, said they have been taking more camping trips in recent months, an apparent attempt to step away from the noise surrounding Robinson and return, however briefly, to the kind of family life neighbors remembered them having before his arrest. Back then, she said, the Robinsons were known as a close-knit family who kept largely to themselves and worked hard and went on camping and hunting trips together. It is unthinkable to Schwiermann that the young man accused of assassinating one of America’s most recognizable conservative activists could be the same quiet, respectful and gifted boy she spent years watching grow up. ‘It hurts my heart to look at him now,’ she said. ‘I wouldn't ever expect that out of Tyler. ‘His parents have always been great and taught their kids well… he was smarter than smart, and he blew it all with one shot.’ That perception of Robinson's parents has shaped the way they have been treated in the neighborhood since their eldest son was arrested last September. Robinson's parents looked somber as they entered court on Wednesday where they have remained stoic all week Robinson, 23, (seen in court in December) is facing the death penalty Robinson seen from behind in court on Thursday where he fidgeted and appeared more nervous when evidence was presented by the prosecution  In some high-profile murder cases, the families of the accused often become pariahs themselves, left to absorb the public’s rage for crimes they did not commit, or to shoulder suspicion that they must somehow have known, failed to see, or failed to stop what was coming. Sue Klebold, the mother of Columbine gunman Dylan Klebold, knew that burden well. Nearly two decades after the massacre, she recalled in a documentary being told by a stranger, ‘I forgive you for what you’ve done.’ Her response was blunt: ‘I haven’t done anything for which I need forgiveness.’ Schwiermann said the Robinsons have been spared that kind of judgment in Washington. Instead, she said, neighbors have largely kept their distance out of respect, avoiding discussion of Robinson’s alleged crimes - while quietly making clear that Amber and Matt have not been cast out. ‘We try to keep it light to get away from it; otherwise, it will eat all of us, too,’ Schwiermann said. ‘We’ve all kind of just stood back and just prayed for them.’ Over the holidays, in an act of community support, the neighborhood organized a ‘12 Days of Christmas’ effort for the family, with different households leaving food, gift cards and small offerings at their home. Schwiermann, who makes small clay nativities, left one for Amber with candy packed around it. She later received a heartfelt text from Amber thanking her for the gesture. The support the Robinsons are receiving locally is rooted partly in the tight-knit community’s Mormon faith. It is also shaped by what happened in the final hours of the manhunt to find Kirk's suspected shooter. Robinson's family have sat poker-faced through testimony that appeared graphic enough to make even Judge Tony Graf flinch from the bench and caused Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk (pictured Monday) to leave the courtroom  Charlie Kirk's close friend Jack Posobiec arrived at court Thursday in a red sports car After authorities released images of the suspected gunman in the aftermath of the shooting on the Utah Valley University campus, Robinson’s parents recognized their son and confronted him, according to officials. Prosecutors have alleged that Robinson made incriminating statements to his family, and that, after he spoke of wanting to take his own life rather than turning himself in, they helped broker his peaceful surrender. To Schwiermann, the actions of Amber and Matt say a lot about who she believes they are as people. They were not parents trying to shield their son from accountability, she said, but parents who helped ensure he survived long enough to face it. ‘We don’t judge,’ Schwiermann said. ‘You can tell they’re loving parents and they’re a great family.’ She then alleged: ‘It’s just one bad deed their son did that created chaos. I don’t think Tyler thought of that. He was thinking of himself in that moment, his hate. And I don’t think he thought about his family or the effect this would have on them.’ But the compassion extended to Amber and Matt has not softened Schwiermann’s view of Tyler Robinson or what she thinks should happen to him if he is found guilty. She said she supports prosecutors seeking the death penalty and believes neighbors can feel sympathy for his parents without excusing the killing of Kirk, a 31-year-old husband, father and founder of Turning Point USA, of whom she had great admiration. Special forces agents keep watch on top of the courthouse building in Provo, Utah The Daily Mail was among only a small number of outlets with a reporter inside the courtroom Kristin Schwiermann, a family friend of the Robinsons, said the community still supports them ‘If he did it and he admitted it, I feel that’s how it should go,’ she said. ‘I know that would be devastating for the family… but I also think Amber would understand why I feel that way.’ Schwiermann worked as a custodian at Riverside Elementary School where Robinson attended as a child. She said she saw him almost every day. He was polite, reserved and bright enough to be placed in the school’s gifted and talented program. He was not the most popular of children, but he was not a loner either. As he got older, she would spot him only in passing - walking home from school, outside with his family, or around the neighborhood. He was never, she said, a loud or troubling presence. ‘He didn’t change,’ she said. ‘He was always quiet, very reserved, very respectable.’ Amber, whom Schwiermann knew best, often left for work early in the morning and returned around dinner time. She is employed as a social worker. Matt, meanwhile, owns and operates a countertop manufacturer specializing in granite and stone. ‘They kind of kept to themselves a lot of the time because they were either working or out doing those family things together,’ Schwiermann said. ‘Amber in particular was very close to her boys.’ Having lived next to and known the Robinsons for 18 years is what has made the allegations against Tyler Robinson so difficult for Schwiermann to reconcile. In court this week, prosecutors have presented video, forensic evidence and testimony they say place Tyler on the UVU campus before and after Kirk was shot during a town-hall style debate on September 11, 2025, including DNA evidence. Defense attorneys have challenged parts of the prosecution’s case, including the reliability of the DNA evidence, while Judge Graf weighs whether prosecutors have met the threshold to send Robinson to trial. The Robinson family is described close-knit and hardworking, according to neighbors Amber regularly posted on social media praising her son Tyler for his academic achievements Schwiermann said she does not know exactly what may have motivated Robinson to allegedly fire a single, fatal shot to Kirk’s throat. But she believes the internet and the many dark corners users can stumble into may have transformed him from the person his family and neighbors thought they knew into someone more hateful or radical. ‘The internet leads to rabbit holes,’ she said. ‘I think a lot of kids go wrong through having the wrong friends, and finding them on the internet.’ She said Tyler’s intelligence may have accelerated that alleged spiral. ‘The smarter you are, the more you can find online,’ she added. Schwiermann said she cannot imagine what Erika Kirk has endured, sitting in court and facing the man accused of killing her husband, and leaving her two young children fatherless. But she also thinks of Amber Robinson, forced to sit silently and emotionless, only feet from her son, while hearing the outline of the case that could one day end with his execution. ‘On both sides, they’re both moms - Erika and Amber,’ Schwiermann said. ‘And I’m sure it’s hard for Amber to sit there and go, I’m sorry. Because I’m sure that’s how she feels.’ She paused on the thought of Amber and Matt one day returning to Washington after the case against their son plays out, however long that might take, however it may end. ‘We’re not going to hang it over their heads,’ Schwiermann said. ‘It’ll be the world that does that. ‘If he’s found guilty, they’re always going to think my son killed somebody, and that’s hard. But if they’re surrounded by all of us, I think they can go through life a little less burdened.’ Robinson’s preliminary hearing is scheduled to conclude Friday, after which Judge Tony Graf will decide whether prosecutors have established probable cause to send the case to trial. If the case moves forward, Robinson will enter a formal plea at arraignment. Additional reporting by Ruth Styles.