A Utah judge has rejected accused assassin Tyler Robinson’s latest attempt to keep key portions of his upcoming preliminary hearing hidden from the public, marking another setback for defense efforts to limit media access in one of the nation’s most closely watched murder cases.
Fourth District Judge Tony Graf ruled Monday that Robinson’s July preliminary hearing will remain largely open to the public, denying requests to conduct portions of the proceedings behind closed doors and to shield certain evidence exhibits from public view.
The hearing, scheduled for July 6-10, will be the first major public presentation of evidence in the case since prosecutors charged Robinson with the Sept. 10, 2025 assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors are expected to easily clear the low legal threshold required to establish probable cause and move the case toward trial.
Graf also scheduled a separate June 12 hearing to address defense allegations that prosecutors improperly discussed the case outside of court. Both sides will receive 90 minutes to present arguments regarding whether sanctions should be imposed.
The dispute stems from prosecutors’ public response to defense filings that generated widespread attention after suggesting federal ballistics experts could not match the bullet that killed Kirk to the rifle investigators say Robinson used in the attack. (RELATED: UVU Releases Heavily Redacted Records In Charlie Kirk Assassination Case)
Defense attorneys pointed to an ATF report that labeled the ballistic comparison “inconclusive.” But prosecutors argued that characterization was misleading because the report’s appendix explained that an inconclusive finding does not mean a firearm has been excluded. Rather, investigators determined there was not enough remaining material on the damaged bullet fragment to make a definitive identification or exclusion.
According to court filings, the bullet recovered from Kirk’s body was too damaged for a conclusive match, but investigators determined it was consistent with the rifle’s caliber. Prosecutors have also emphasized that a spent cartridge casing recovered alongside the suspected murder weapon was positively matched to the rifle.
Authorities allege they recovered the rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near campus shortly after the shooting. Prosecutors have further alleged that text messages between Robinson and his romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, discussed retrieving the weapon after the attack and included statements amounting to a confession.
The state’s case extends beyond ballistics evidence.
Prosecutors say forensic testing found DNA consistent with Robinson’s on the rifle, the towel used to conceal it, and three of the four rounds loaded inside the weapon. Investigators have also cited alleged digital communications, witness testimony, surveillance footage, and a note Robinson allegedly left behind indicating he intended to kill Kirk.
Robinson, who has not yet entered a plea, faces aggravated murder and multiple additional felony charges. Utah prosecutors have announced they intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
Defense attorneys have repeatedly argued that extensive media coverage threatens Robinson’s ability to receive a fair trial, filing multiple motions seeking to restrict cameras, seal evidence, and limit public access to court proceedings. Graf has largely rejected those efforts, repeatedly siding with media organizations and prosecutors who argue the public has a right to observe the proceedings.
The July preliminary hearing is expected to provide the most detailed public accounting yet of the evidence prosecutors plan to use as they pursue a capital murder conviction in the killing that stunned the conservative movement and drew national attention.
READ NEXT: Google Seeks EPA Approval To Release Millions Of Sterile Mosquitoes In California And Florida
