Nearly 10 months after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, prosecutors will begin laying out their case on Monday in a hearing that will put Mr. Kirk’s parents and widow in the same courtroom as the man charged with murdering the conservative activist.
The goal of the weeklong preliminary hearing in Provo, Utah, is straightforward — to decide whether prosecutors have enough evidence to go to trial against Tyler J. Robinson, 23, a onetime straight-A student now facing the death penalty in the case.
But the hearing, similar to a grand jury proceeding in other states, will unfold with the emotion and tension of a mini trial in a case that has been dogged by delays and conspiracy theories. Judge Tony Graf will decide whether there is probable cause for the case to proceed.
Mr. Robinson has yet to enter a plea, and his defense team has given few hints about its strategy, other than trying to bog down the case with procedural challenges. The hearing could reveal whether his lawyers will acknowledge Mr. Robinson was the shooter, or if they plan to dispute reams of evidence tying him to the killing.
Prosecutors are expected to present surveillance videos, autopsy findings and witness statements, and to play a video interview with Lance Twiggs, Mr. Robinson’s former roommate and lover, that could shed light on the defendant’s motive. Mr. Twiggs has received immunity, according to court filings.
Mr. Kirk’s widow, Erika, is expected to be in court this week. At Mr. Kirk’s packed memorial service last year, Ms. Kirk told the crowd that she had forgiven her husband’s killer “because it was what Christ did,” but still wanted him held accountable by the justice system.
Mr. Robinson grew up in the conservative Mormon city of St. George, Utah, but his family told investigators that as he had become engaged in politics, his views had shifted to the left.
Investigators say that Mr. Robinson targeted Mr. Kirk, one of the country’s most influential conservatives, because of Mr. Kirk’s “political expression.” The authorities released text messages between Mr. Robinson and his roommate in which he confesses to killing Mr. Kirk, saying, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Last September, Mr. Robinson drove four hours from St. George to Utah Valley University in Orem, where hundreds of students had gathered to see Mr. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA. Mr. Kirk was holding a signature event: a debate where he sparred with liberals and espoused his conservative Christian beliefs.
Mr. Kirk had just answered a question about violence committed by transgender people when, law enforcement officials say, a rifle shot rang out from the top of a nearby building, striking Mr. Kirk in the neck. Investigators say Mr. Robinson slipped away in the pandemonium and made his way back to St. George amid an extensive manhunt.
Mr. Robinson’s family later recognized him in surveillance images released by investigators, and arranged his surrender to a sheriff. He has been in jail ever since, and is expected to be in the courtroom all this week.
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