Tyler Robinson will stand trial on charges for allegedly killing Charlie Kirk: Judge

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.After Graf announced Robinson would stand trial on all seven counts, Robinson pleaded not guilty to each of the charges.During the trial, Robinson will face charges, including aggravated murder, discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, tampering with a witness, and violent offense committed in the presence of a child, for his alleged assassination of Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. The maximum punishment for the charges against Robinson includes the death penalty.The Kirk family said Graf’s ruling Tuesday evening was an “important step in our family’s pursuit of justice for him” in a statement issued after the judge’s decision to have Robinson stand trial on all seven counts.“Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father. We are grateful to all who have continued to pray for us, support us, and stand with us through a year of unimaginable grief,” the Kirk family said. “As the next phase of the judicial process begins, our family remains united in our love for Charlie, our commitment to the pursuit of justice, and our prayer for a transparent and timely process.”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 TRIALRobinson’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, but could be set as soon as the next hearing on Oct. 23.