Matthew Brown

Defense attorneys continued challenging the reliability of DNA testing that prosecutors say links Tyler Robinson to the rifle used in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. An FBI analyst was questioned about the techniques used to identify Robinson’s DNA on the weapon as the weeklong evidentiary hearing progressed in Provo, Utah.

Prosecutors planned to present a roommate’s recorded statement and additional law‑enforcement videos in the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting Charlie Kirk from a rooftop while Kirk spoke at Utah Valley University. The resumed proceedings represent the most extensive evidence presentation to date in the homicide case.

A former Utah Valley University police officer testified that he discovered what appeared to be a sniper position on a rooftop overlooking the site where Charlie Kirk was assassinated, supporting prosecutors’ efforts to advance a murder case against a Utah man. The officer said the prone position on the gravel roof offered a clear line of sight to the shooting location as he recounted witnessing the attack during the event. Prosecutors presented the testimony to demonstrate sufficient evidence for a trial.

Prosecutors in Utah argued before a state judge that sufficient evidence exists to try the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk and pursue the death penalty. Kirk’s family, including his parents and widow Erika, attended the hearing alongside Donald Trump Jr. but left after initial testimony from a police officer describing Kirk’s arrival on campus the day of the shooting.