Prosecutors present evidence of Tyler Robinson turning himself in on Day 3 of preliminary hearing
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- Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, listens during a preliminary hearing at the 4th District Court in Provo on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
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- Agent Brian Davis, of the State Bureau of Investigation, testifies during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the 4th District Court in Provo on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
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- Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf speaks during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the 4th District Court in Provo on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
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- Defense attorney Kathryn Nester, right, speaks to Utah County Attorney’s Office prosecutor David Sturgill, left, during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the 4th District Court in Provo on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
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- Defense attorney Richard Novak looks on during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the 4th District Court in Provo on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
A state investigator testified about Tyler Robinson turning himself in to authorities, and the parties argued over the admissibility of, and public access to, a video of law enforcement’s interview with Robinson’s former roommate during the third day of Robinson’s preliminary hearing Wednesday.
Robinson, 23, of Washington, Utah, is charged with shooting and killing political activist Charlie Kirk while he was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Sept. 10, 2025. Prosecutors previously said they are pursuing the death penalty in the case.
The Utah County Attorney’s Office aims to establish probable cause against Robinson during a weeklong hearing at Provo’s 4th District Court.
Wednesday’s hearing started at 1 p.m., with Erika Kirk in attendance.
Agent Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation took the stand and testified that Robinson turned himself into the Washington County Sheriff’s Office the night of Sept. 11, 2025, and was transported to the Utah County Jail where he was booked the morning of Sept. 12.
Davis said he received a call at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 that an individual was going to turn himself in regarding his involvement in the UVU shooting and requesting that he travel to St. George.
He said he flew to St. George with other investigators and arrived at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office before midnight, where they observed Robinson inside a room on a TV screen.
“I was told he arrived there about 9 p.m. that evening. … He’d come there with his parents and a family friend,” Davis said.
A video was submitted into evidence showing Robinson walking into the room wearing a baseball cap, a red T-shirt and blue jeans, and holding a bottle of water inside the sheriff’s office.
Davis testified that Robinson was detained and formally arrested at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at 4 a.m. on Sept. 12 and was transported to the Utah County Jail, where he was formally booked by Davis at 8 a.m. There, buckle swaps and finger and palm prints were collected.
Law enforcement interviewed Robinson’s mother, father and their family friend Mike Mitchell, who Davis said facilitated Robinson turning himself in to authorities, on the night of Sept. 11, 2025, according to Davis.
Mitchell later met with the Utah County Attorney’s Office and another state agent met with Mitchell on March 31, when Mitchell handwrote an 11.02 statement and provided it, Davis testified. A copy of the statement was provided to Judge Tony F. Graf.
Davis also said Lance Twiggs, whom he identified as the roommate of Robinson, was interviewed twice in the investigation, first on Sept. 12 and later on April 20 at the Utah County Attorney’s Office. He confirmed the April interview was taken in lieu of having to testify at the preliminary hearing, and that Twiggs was given use-immunity for statements made during the interview.
The defense and prosecutors spent substantial time arguing over the admission of the April interview with Twiggs and how much of the transcript should be made accessible to the public.
County Attorney Lauren Hunt of the state requested that the video and audio be played in the courtroom, with the audio broadcast on the livestream but the video not shown. Defense attorney Richard Novak argued there were relevancy and hearsay issues in the video and expressed concern for Robinson’s right to a free trial.
“The vast majority of this video is (County Prosecutor Ryan) McBride testifying, and Mr. Twiggs agreeing,” Novak said. He called for a closed hearing to make further objections
Hunt argued that Graf was capable of “fully disregarding any statement it determines exceeds the proper scope.”
The Kirk family attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, told Graf, “The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted in this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to see.
“To not be transparent here, to not be open, to not let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system, and that’s not what anybody wants.”
Graf ordered that the audio and video could be played in the courtroom with significant redactions to the video.
“This is simply for publication,” Graft said. “This is not what the court will consider. The court is considering the entirety of the state’s exhibit
The video will be played Thursday in the court.
