Charlie Kirk's family attends hearing for accused assassin

A five-day preliminary hearing for the 23-year-old charged with murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk began on Monday with Kirk’s parents and widow in attendance. Tyler Robinson faced aggravated murder charges for Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination that took place while Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University. Robinson has not entered any plea. Robert and Kathryn Kirk appeared for the first day of testimony, along with their son’s widow, Turning Point USA President Erika Kirk, and President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.

What’s the point of the hearing? The multiday hearing almost functioned as a pseudo-trial, with state prosecutors tasked with showing there’s some reasonable grounds for suspecting that Robinson killed Kirk. Prosecutors must later prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before they can obtain an actual conviction. It remains unclear whether presiding District Judge Tony Graf will allow the hearing’s evidence to be published.

What took place during the hearing? A majority of Monday’s proceedings centered on testimony from former campus police officer Chris Bagley, who was on duty at the time of the shooting. Attorneys from both sides questioned Bagley about the campus layout and his movements on the day of the shooting. The officer was tasked with securing an area of the campus during Kirk’s talk, and reported he could see Kirk’s right side from where he was stationed. Bagley testified that he heard a gunshot ring out, before chaos erupted among both the crowd and students inside the nearby building.

Bagley described seeing a disturbance on the roof shortly after Robinson is accused of taking the fatal shot. Bagley went to the roof and testified that he saw a screwdriver, but no bullet casings. The officer also said the battery in his body camera died during his search of the roof, allowing the officer to capture only about 27 minutes of footage from the day of the shooting. Former Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull took the stand toward the end of Monday’s testimony and shared details on the state’s initial investigation into the shooting.