Charlie Kirk’s family came face to face Monday with the man accused of assassinating him, as a Utah judge reviewed graphic footage from the conservative leader’s killing during the first day of a crucial preliminary hearing.
Tyler Robinson, 23, was already seated in the courtroom before members of the media were allowed inside around 8:55 a.m.
He wore a gray suit, pink shirt and black tie, with his wrists and ankles cuffed.
Robinson showed no visible reaction later in the hearing when videos of Kirk’s fatal shooting were played for the judge and attorneys, including audio of the gunshot that killed the Turning Point USA founder.
Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull took the stand to introduce several videos, including footage of Kirk’s death that was not shown publicly in court but was shown to Judge Tony Graf Jr. and attorneys for both sides.
Two of the videos were described as showing the moment a sniper’s bullet struck Kirk in the neck.
Reporters in the courtroom could hear the audio.
Graf flinched and leaned away from the screen when the shot rang out in one of the videos.
Robinson remained still.
Kirk’s family had already left the courtroom before the footage was played.
They were expected to receive warnings before graphic evidence was introduced and left twice before mentions of the assassination itself.
For much of the hearing, Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, sat with his parents, Rob and Kathy Kirk, watching the proceedings closely.
Judge in Tyler Robinson case visibly flinches while reviewing new footage of Charlie Kirk’s shooting: pic.twitter.com/zNb0MUjnB8
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 6, 2026
They occasionally exchanged looks or glanced down as prosecutors began laying out their case.
Other relatives present included Erika’s sister, Tonya, and her niece and nephew.
At another point, with the Kirk family out of the courtroom, Hull testified about the autopsy report, which listed Kirk’s death as a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the neck.
During that testimony, Robinson’s mother leaned toward her husband and placed her hand on his shoulder.
The Kirks were joined near the front of the courtroom by several high-profile supporters, including Donald Trump Jr., his wife Bettina and conservative commentators Jack Posobiec and Brandon Tatum.
Robinson’s parents, who usually sit in the front row, were seated in the fourth row Monday with other relatives.
The first witness was Officer Christopher Bagley, now with the Spanish Fork Police Department.
Bagley was working at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, when Kirk was shot and killed during a Turning Point USA event.
He testified that he believed he heard a rifle shot, not a pistol shot, from the direction of the Losee Center.
Bagley said he reached that conclusion after seeing an empty handgun holster on the ground during the chaos and looking up to see that the Losee Center rooftop had a clear line of sight to where Kirk had been speaking.
He went to the rooftop, where he found a black and red screwdriver and impressions in the gravel that he described as what looked like a “sniper’s pad.”
Bagley also said he reviewed surveillance video showing the suspect on top of the roof.
He found footprints in the grass where the suspect dropped down and scuff marks on the roof above them.
Defense attorney Kathy Nester had about 10 minutes of cross-examination before the lunch recess.
She asked Bagley whether his police report from the day of the shooting mentioned the direction the shot came from.
He said it did not.
He also said he did not know what happened to the handgun holster.
Robinson’s defense objected when prosecutors moved to show some Utah Valley University surveillance video.
Graf, who had overruled most defense objections throughout the day, sustained that one.
The judge said the video had not been properly authenticated because it had been edited with face blurs, zooms and red circles.
Prosecutors said they planned to provide an unedited version, and the video is expected to be introduced later.
Hull was the second of four witnesses prosecutors said they planned to call Monday.
He is expected to resume testimony Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. MT.
Other video shown Monday included a vehicle alleged to be Robinson’s coming and going from a house near the UVU campus after midnight on Sept. 11, about 12 hours after Kirk’s murder.
Robinson also allegedly had an encounter with law enforcement in the area hours after the shooting.
At some point during the week, the court is expected to hear a previously recorded statement from Robinson’s former lover, Lance Twiggs, who prosecutors allege received a written confession after the crime.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
He could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder, the top charge against him.
The hearing is expected to last all week as prosecutors try to show they have enough evidence to send the case to trial.
