Charlie Kirk‘s accused killer Tyler Robinson was seen laughing in court as the conservative star’s widow Erika wept just feet away.
Erika Kirk, dressed in all black, faced her husband’s alleged murderer for the first time Monday morning as he appeared before a Utah judge for a five-day preliminary hearing.
She had burst into tears before the hearing even started, according to the Daily Mail’s reporter in the courtroom.
She was accompanied by her rarely-seen in-laws, Robert and Kathryn Kirk.
Donald Trump Jr and his wife, Bettina Anderson Trump, showed up to support the sobbing widow and were seated in the front row.
Robinson, however, is said to have been laughing with his attorney Kathy Nester ahead of the proceeding, which will determine if he has to stand trial for Kirk’s murder. It is unclear what prompted his expression of mirth.
The 23-year-old is charged with aggravated murder in the September 10 assassination of Kirk, who was shot dead while addressing a crowd of thousands during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
The accused killer turned himself in after the shooting and prosecutors allege that he also sent a text message confession to his transgender partner.
He has not entered a plea in the case and attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. The defense has sought to get the death penalty taken off the table.
Erika Kirk is seen walking into the Utah court house Monday morning where she faced her husband’s alleged killer for the first time
Tyler Robinson is charged with aggravated murder in the September 10 assassination of Kirk, who was shot dead while addressing a crowd of thousands during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University
Kirk’s parents and his widow all left the courtroom shortly after Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley began testifying about the moments the Turning Point USA founder was shot.
Bagley, the prosecution’s first witness said he could see the right side of Kirk’s body as he spoke on the college campus on September 10 last year.
Kirk was in the middle of answering a question when the officer heard a gunshot ring out. He saw people fleeing the area before police confirmed that they had had a suspect in custody over the radio.
‘I saw him go to the left … I could no longer see the right side of his body,’ Bagley told the court. ‘Then everybody started getting up and started to run, more of a chaos situation.’
He then began assessing the crowd for injuries as he worked to ‘preserve the crime scene.’
After the shooting, Bagley went to the top of a nearby building where he saw a disturbance in the gravel that looked like a ‘sniper pad’, where someone might have been laying in a position that would allow them to shoot a weapon.
The officer told the court that there was a clear ‘line of sight’ from where Kirk was sat to the top of the Losee Center, where Robinson allegedly fired his rifle.
Erika leaned her head on a friend for comfort as the testimony was delivered. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
Robinson, with his attorney Kathy Nester, listens as evidence is presented at his pretrial hearing on Monday morning
Erika was accompanied by Charlie’s parents Kathryn and Robert Kirk, seen arriving at the Fourth District Courthouse
Kathryn Kirk, clutching a pocket-sized packet of tissues, listened to the testimony with her head bowed and eyes closed.
Robinson looked at the exhibits on the monitor and took notes.
Nester, during her cross-examination of Bagley, questioned him about the report he wrote after the shooting, including his observation about finding an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled.
Bagley acknowledged that he never took custody of the holster and doesn’t know if it was ever fingerprinted.
She asked Bagley if he ever attended a meeting to discuss how officers would keep people safe on the day of the shooting. The officer said he did not.
Bagley said there were six officers working that day. Thousands of people attended the event.
There were no metal detectors being used to screen the crowd, and no drones being used for security, Bagley said.
He also said there were no law enforcement officers on the roof, stairway or walkway when he arrived to work that day.
Kirk’s widow and parents all left the courtroom shortly after Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley, pictured, began testifying about the moments the activist was shot
The Kirks plan to attend the entire weeklong pretrial hearing for Robinson.
Ahead of the hearing, the family released a statement saying his death ‘irrevocably impacted our lives.’
‘Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death, and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children,’ Erika said in the statement shared on X.
This week’s hearing marks the most significant presentation of evidence in Robinson’s case so far.
After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed.
The judge previously denied a defense request to take the death penalty off the table after he held a prosecutor in contempt.
A death sentence is an option in Utah only when a crime has aggravating circumstances.
Prosecutors will argue in Robinson’s case that Kirk’s shooting endangered others in attendance.
Charlie Kirk speaks to a crowd during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 before he was shot dead
Erika and Charlie Kirk with their two children
This week’s resembles a mini-trial, but prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk.
The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors must prove guilt ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’
Prosecutors can use secondhand information, or hearsay, to help present their case. They expect to present between 40 and 50 exhibits during this week’s hearing.
Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander told the judge that the state’s exhibits will include several videos of the September 10 shooting.
Prosecutors have said they also plan to present DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, autopsy findings and witness statements.
Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, is not expected to testify in person during the hearing.
But Twiggs will deliver a pre-recorded statement at the proceeding.
Twiggs, 22, who is transgender and goes by the name ‘Luna,’ was living with Robinson during the time of the alleged murder.
After Robinson turned himself in to authorities, federal investigators learned that he sent Twiggs a flurry of text messages during his 33 hours on the run, disclosing his alleged involvement in the shooting and his efforts to evade capture.
Erika broke down in tears at Charlie Kirk’s memorial on September 21 last year as she publicly forgave her husband’s killer
In addition to the alleged confession note, Robinson reportedly texted his roommate that he targeted Kirk because he ‘had enough of his hatred,’ prosecutors have said.
Twiggs has never been charged or implicated in the shooting, and has instead cooperated with authorities.
Before his death, Kirk and the organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, galvanized the conservative youth vote to help President Donald Trump win a second term.
The Republican president has said he hopes Robinson receives the death penalty.
Erika Kirk said during her husband’s memorial service that she forgives Robinson.
‘[Charlie] wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life,’ Erika said at the memorial, sparking a standing ovation and roars from the crowd of more than 60,000 people.
‘That man, that young man, I forgive him,’ she added, while breaking into tears.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login