The 22-year-old accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk made his first in-person court appearance since his arrest—and he did so with a smile.
Tyler Robinson, who surrendered to authorities a day after the Sept. 10 shooting, was seen smirking in a Utah courtroom on Thursday while chatting with his defense team, sporting a light-blue button-down, tie, and khakis.
His soft smile comes even as prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty and as he faces six felony charges, including aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, in the killing of the 31-year-old conservative icon.
When Robinson entered in shackles, his eyes scanned the room until they locked on his parents and siblings. He smiled at them, and his mother teared up, according to the Associated Press.
Robinson’s attorneys pushed Thursday to limit media access to the criminal trial, arguing that intense public attention could jeopardize his right to a fair proceeding. His lawyers urged Judge Tony Graf, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, to bar cameras from the courtroom.
Because the court needed to discuss media restrictions privately, spectators were shooed out of the packed gallery mere minutes after the hearing began. Robinson’s parents asked to remain, but their request was denied. In the hallway, his mother, Amber Jones Robinson, began to cry again, according to an X post from NewsNation’s Brian Entin.
Armed SWAT officers were also stationed outside—an unusual security measure for a criminal trial.
Kirk, the 31-year-old podcaster and Turning Point USA founder, was speaking at Utah Valley University on his “America’s Comeback” tour when he was shot in the neck. His death ignited a firestorm of grief, fury, and conspiracy theories from the right.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, has repeatedly pushed for complete transparency. “We deserve to have cameras there. Why not be transparent? There’s nothing to hide… let everyone see what true evil is,” she told Fox News host Jesse Watters last month.
For some conservatives, Robinson’s smile only added to that outrage. “He is smiling and laughing. Demonic. Evil. Sick,” MAGA podcaster and friend of Kirk, Benny Johnson, wrote.
Entin, a longtime criminal justice journalist, made a case for Robinson’s grin.
“For people commenting on Tyler Robinson smiling while talking with his attorney on video before court started – this can sometimes be a defense tactic to humanize defendants when they know the cameras are rolling and potential jurors could be watching,” Entin wrote on X.
Investigators have cited surveillance, a rifle recovery, and digital evidence—including messages and alleged DNA on the gun’s trigger—in support of the case against Robinson.
In texts to his romantic partner, Robinson allegedly wrote, “I had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
It was Robinson’s family that recognized their son on the news and helped the FBI crack the case, according to the September indictment.
He turned himself in at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, accompanied by his parents and a family friend, who is a retired law enforcement officer, CNN reported.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Robinson’s legal team for comment.
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