Tyler Robinson defense attorney condemned for VERY pointed remark about Erika Kirk at Charlie Kirk murder suspect's pre-trial hearing: Live updates

By KATRINA SCHOLLENBERGER, US HEAD OF LIVE NEWS and RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Tyler Robinson's defense attorney sparked backlash at crucial pre-trial evidence hearings as he slated Charlie Kirk's widow Erika with a pointed remark about her being 'adept at holding press conferences.'  The moment came amid the Kirk family's push for 'full transparency' in Robinson's hearings, as they urged the judge to release unredacted versions of evidence, testimony and surveillance footage submitted by prosecutors.  Robinson's attorney Michael Burt argued that certain evidence should be withheld from the public view to prevent tainting a potential jury pool, leading him to hit out at Erika for her previous media appearances about her husband's September 2025 assassination.  'I want to point out to the court, Ms. Kirk has been very adept at holding press conferences in which she has revealed evidence,' he said.  'She has represented that the state is her attorney... She is perfectly free to go out and hold press conferences and announce to the world what they think the evidence is.'  The remark led Kirk's family attorney to condemn Burt's argument as a 'complete distortion of reality', and sparked backlash across social media as Burt was branded 'absolutely outrageous.'  Burt's comment about Erika came just hours after the widow was heard crying in the courtroom during the fourth day of Robinson's pretrial hearings. Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf is set to decide in September whether prosecutors have enough evidence to take Robinson to a murder trial.  Prosecutors have presented a raft of evidence that they say implicates Robinson in the assassination, including DNA found on a towel wrapped around the murder weapon, several alleged confessions, and bombshell testimony from his former roommate and transgender lover, Lance Twiggs.  Follow the Daily Mail for the latest updates...  Tyler Robinson's defense attorney Michael Burt sparked backlash after making a pointed remark about Charlie Kirk's widow Erika during arguments about transparency in court. The moment came amid the Kirk family's push for the judge to release unredacted versions of testimony and surveillance footage submitted by prosecutors. Burt argued that in order to avoid tainting a potential jury pool, certain evidence should be withheld from the public view. He then hit out at Erika for sharing details about Robinson and the case in media appearances, saying: 'I want to point out to the court, Ms. Kirk has been very adept at holding press conferences in which she has revealed evidence.' 'She has represented that the state is her attorney,' Burt said. 'She is perfectly free to go out and hold press conferences and announce to the world what they think the evidence is.' The remark led Kirk's family attorney to condemn Burt's argument as a 'complete distortion of reality', and sparked backlash across social media as Burt was branded 'absolutely outrageous.' As prosecutors shared bombshell footage of Tyler Robinson's transgender lover Lance Twiggs giving a police interview, the families of Kirk and his accused killer gave emotional reactions in court. The Kirk family notably scoffed from the third row of the gallery as Twiggs told police that on the day Kirk was assassinated in September 2025, he did not wake up until past midday. When Twiggs was asked about engravings that Robinson allegedly carved in bullet casings found near the scene, he said Robinson had been using a Dremel engraving tool that he said was used for hunting. The remark about the Dremel tool appeared to spark a visceral reaction from Robinson's family in the first row, courtroom reporters said. Robinson's brother was seen bending over and slumping his head at that moment, and his mother rubbed his back to comfort him. Earlier in the hearing, Erika Kirk was also heard crying in the courtroom as she saw an alleged 'apology' text Robinson sent to Twiggs about the shooting. A Utah judge visibly winced watching previously unseen footage of Charlie Kirk's killing as his alleged assassin Tyler Robinson had the first day of his preliminary hearing. State District Judge Tony Graf was seen on camera in a Provo courtroom watching the footage. As Kirk is shot in the footage, you can witness Graf affected by what he's just seen. The entire courtroom was silent as it played. Tyler Robinson's crucial pre-trial probable cause hearings are set to come to a close on Friday. The purpose of the hearings has been to allow prosecutors to lay out the evidence they have against the alleged assassin of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. The hearings serve as a 'mini-trial' of sorts, but the burden of proof is much lower. Utah District Judge Tony Graf will determine only if there is 'probable cause' that Robinson likely killed Kirk, which will allow prosecutors to take him to a murder trial. At trial, prosecutors will have to meet the much higher burden of 'beyond a reasonable doubt' to convict Robinson. However, Graf has scheduled his decision for September 2026, meaning Robinson will remain in custody for several more months before learning if he will face trial. If convicted, prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty against Robinson. On Thursday, prosecutors presented never-before-seen video footage of a police interview given by Tyler Robinson's former roommate and lover, Lance Twiggs, 23. The interview was conducted in April 2026 by Utah investigators, as Twiggs was grilled over the aftermath of Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. In the footage, Twiggs said he first met Robinson in person in 2023 when they moved in as roommates, and they began dating roughly two months later. He recalled on the morning Kirk was assassinated, Robinson left early in the morning and claimed he had to work a long shift. He said he didn't hear from Robinson again until 11pm that night, when Robinson told him to look under his keyboard to find a handwritten note. The note read, 'I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it,' according to court filings. Twiggs recalled Robinson returning to their home by the next morning, and said Robinson was pacing around the home while avoiding questions about Kirk's assassination. Twiggs claimed Robinson eventually admitted to the assassination, began crying and told Twiggs 'he wishes he hadn't done it.' Robinson said he was going to go to his parents or turn himself in, Twiggs added. You get more of what you focus on. You will proba...