Suspect to face trial and possible death sentence in Charlie Kirk murder

A Utah judge paved the way Sept. 1 for Tyler Robinson to stand trial and face a possible death sentence for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The ruling comes nearly a year after Kirk, 31, was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025. Prosecutors laid out several key pieces of evidence they say links Robinson, 23, to the shooting over the course of a weeklong hearing in July.

The judge’s ruling means Robinson could potentially face the death penalty if found guilty.

Robinson's defense attorneys, meanwhile, worked to cast doubt on the evidence, including DNA and ballistics analysis, with hours of questions about the scientific methods used and error rates.

The hearing was not intended to determine Robinson's guilt or innocence, but whether there is probable cause to believe Robinson had committed the crime. After hearing final arguments from attorneys on both sides, Utah Judge Tony Graf ruled that there is. Graf has explained that he was required to evaluate the evidence presented at the hearing "in the light most favorable to the prosecution."

"The line separating speculation from reasonable inference can be faint," Graf said from the bench Tuesday. But in this case…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/