FILE – Erika Kirk leaves the Fourth District Courthouse, July 6, 2026, in Provo, Utah, after a hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott, File)
Kirk, who was in court for the ruling, became emotional as the judge concluded the five-day preliminary hearing. She later shared a statement on X saying the decision came nearly a year after her husband was killed.
Utah District Judge Tony Graf ruled Tuesday that Tyler Robinson, 23, will stand trial on all seven charges filed against him, including aggravated murder, over the fatal shooting of the conservative activist at Utah Valley University last year.
Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk has called a Utah judge’s decision to send the man accused of killing her husband to trial an “important step” in her family’s pursuit of justice. “Today’s decision … marks an important step in our family’s pursuit of justice for him,” she said, adding that every stage of the case carried “the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father. She thanked those who had supported the family during what she described as a year of “unimaginable grief” and said they remained committed to a “transparent and timely process. His lawyer Staci Visser said: “There is one shot.
Robinson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and could face the death penalty if convicted. Robinson’s defence challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that there was no evidence he had intended to endanger anyone other than Kirk. There is one bullet. There is one victim.”
Because he disagreed with his political views, alleging that Kirk’s conservative beliefs were opposed to Robinson’s lifestyle, mcBride told the court that Robinson shot Kirk.