Suspect pleads not guilty in Charlie Kirk murder case

Tyler Robinson pleaded not guilty after prosecutors presented what they called overwhelming evidence that he should face a capital trial for the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Utah County prosecutors accuse the 23-year-old former apprentice electrician of firing the single shot that killed Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, during one of his campus debates at Utah Valley University in Orem on 10 September 2025. Judge Tony Graf ruled that Robinson should stand trial on all seven charges, including aggravated murder.

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He lay down in a prone position, and he would have seen this mass of people, of 3,000-plus people there for the event, took aim, put his crosshairs on Charlie Kirk and fired.

That charge carries the death penalty in Utah. Prosecutor Ryan McBride showed video that he said depicted Robinson taking up a sniper position before the shooting. He also presented images that he said showed Robinson created a great risk of death to others, with Kirk’s security detail only feet away and more than 3,000 people attending the event.

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There is one act. There is one shot. There is one bullet. There is one victim.

McBride said the four rounds in the rifle indicated that the shooter was prepared to fire again if the first shot missed. He told the court, "He lay down in a prone position, and he would have seen this mass of people, of 3,000-plus people there for the event, took aim, put his crosshairs on Charlie Kirk and fired."

The defence argued that the shooting endangered no one but Kirk. Lawyer Staci Visser said the assailant did not engage with anyone else or reload the weapon, but fired once and ran away. "There is one act. There is one shot. There is one bullet. There is one victim," she told the court. Prosecutors also cited testing that allegedly found Robinson’s DNA on the murder weapon, while defence lawyer Michael Burt questioned the reliability of the results. McBride further alleged that Robinson targeted Kirk over his views on gay marriage and transgender rights, citing an alleged text message that said, "some hate can't be negotiated out."

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some hate can't be negotiated out