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Sunday, May 10, 2026
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The Charlie Kirk Assassination Trial Has Begun and the Media Can Barely Be Bothered

Tyler Robinson, 23 years old, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, is finally facing the music for what he allegedly did on September 10, 2025. The first part of the trial has begun and prosecutors are laying out their mountain of evidence against Robinson for the judge.

Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, attended the hearing. So did his parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk. So did Donald Trump Jr. The networks not so much.

The preliminary hearing in 4th District Court in Provo, Utah— presided over by Judge Tony Graf — is expected to last five days. This hearing is not the actual trial, instead it is just a preliminary hearing to convince a judge that prosecutors have enough evidence for the case to move forward. So far prosecutors have laid out evidence that Robinson intentionally climbed to the roof of the Losee Center building at Utah Valley University, set up a "sniper pad," and shot Charlie Kirk in cold blood.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty on a charge of aggravated murder. Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander, who has 22 years of criminal law experience, told the court the state plans to call four law enforcement witnesses on the first day alone and present 40 to 50 exhibits, some of which he warned are graphic.

The first witness, former Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley — who was working under Spanish Fork Police at the time of the hearing — testified that he witnessed Kirk's shooting as the conservative activist spoke to a crowd of thousands. Bagley said he went to a nearby gravel rooftop shortly after and found markings consistent with someone lying prone: impressions from elbows, knees, and feet, with a clear sightline to where Kirk had been standing. He described it as looking "like a sniper pad."

DNA consistent with Robinson was found on the rifle trigger, a fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges, and a towel that had been wrapped around the rifle. Prosecutors also presented Ring doorbell camera footage identifying Robinson's silver Dodge Challenger near the scene.

According to evidence introduced at the hearing, Robinson left a note for his roommate before the shooting: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it." A text message attributed to Robinson read: "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."

Robinson visited the UVU campus four times between September 10 and the early hours of September 11 — twice before the shooting, once during, and again around 12:38 a.m. Video footage tracking those visits was admitted into evidence over defense objections. Judge Graf admitted nearly all prosecution exhibits, rejecting only one edited video compilation that contained zooming and red directional marks.

The defense team — led by Kathy Nester, a partner at Nester Lewis with 30 years of trial experience and over 60 jury trials, alongside Southern California attorney Richard Novak, a former Los Angeles Superior Court judicial officer — focused part of their early strategy on UVU's security posture, emphasizing the university's small police force of just 15 officers, with only 6 assigned to the Kirk event.

Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and former federal judge, told NBC News the prosecution's case appears strong at this stage: "This seems like the proverbial slam dunk at this stage of the case, where the only issue is whether there is a sound basis for moving forward with a trial on the merits."

President Trump announced Robinson's arrest on Fox News on September 12, 2025, two days after the shooting. "I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump said. Robinson turned himself in. He has not entered a plea.

Now compare the coverage. When political violence targets the left — or when the left claims it does — the machinery of media outrage fires on all cylinders. Vigils get primetime coverage. Hashtags trend for weeks. Legislation gets introduced. But a conservative activist gets assassinated by a man who left a written note saying he was going to do it, and Day 1 of the trial plays out to a half-empty press gallery.

Breccan F. Thies at Conservative Review was one of the few journalists covering the proceedings in detail. The contrast between conservative media showing up and mainstream outlets treating it as a regional crime story tells you everything about how political violence gets sorted in this country.

Robinson's note didn't say he snapped. It didn't say he lost control. It said he had an opportunity and he was going to take it. The text message said some hate "can't be negotiated out." That's not a mental health crisis. That's a political assassination with a written thesis statement.

The hearing continues through the week. Prosecutors still have DNA evidence, autopsy findings, and additional witness testimony to present. The legal standard at this stage is lower than trial — they only need to show "reasonable grounds" that Robinson killed Kirk.

Five days of testimony. A defendant who left a note. A rifle with his DNA on the trigger. And a media establishment that would rather talk about anything else.

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