Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of fatally capturing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, appeared in a Utah court Thursday for the first time in-person since his arrest.
Robinson wore a lightweight blue shirt, a striped tie and khaki pants, and was seen on digital camera talking to his attorneys.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and felony use of a firearm, in addition to obstruction of justice, witness tampering and fee of a violent offense within the presence of a kid.
He has not yet entered a plea to the costs.
Robinson surrendered to police on September 11, a day after the capturing. His earlier public court appearances occurred on video or audio.
The listening to Thursday centered on problems with transparency and public accessibility to the case.
The points stem from an October 24 listening to, which was closed to the general public, about courtroom safety, media protection and Robinson’s potential to put on civilian clothes. Media organizations have requested a transcript of that listening to, however attorneys for Robinson and for the state of Utah have proposed sure redactions to the transcript.
On Thursday, the choose closed the first a part of the listening to to the general public so as to freely talk about what ought to or shouldn’t be sealed. Other components of the listening to will likely be open to the general public.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has pushed for the case to be open to the general public, partially to chop down on what she has known as conspiracy theories about his dying.
“We deserve to have cameras in there,” she told Fox News final month. “Why not be transparent?”
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was identified for his brash conservative views on hot-button partisan points and his willingness to debate his liberal opponents, turning these arguments into content material for tens of millions of engaged followers on-line.
He was fatally shot on September 10 whereas he spoke at an outside occasion at Utah Valley University in Orem as a part of his “The American Comeback” tour of school campuses.
Investigators on scene suspected the deadly shot got here from a sniper on a close-by roof, and police quickly launched a photograph from surveillance video of the suspect and requested for the general public’s assist in figuring out him.
A charging document laid out the important thing proof in opposition to Robinson, together with DNA on the suspected homicide weapon and a confession.
A bolt-action rifle, towel, a used cartridge casing and three unused cartridges have been found in a wooded space close to the crime scene, and DNA on a number of of these objects have been in step with Robinson’s, in keeping with the doc. The cartridges have been engraved with phrases from web memes and video video games.
The following day, Robinson, his mother and father and a household pal went to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to show himself in, the doc states. His mother and father had acknowledged their son from the surveillance picture, it mentioned.
In texts to his roommate and romantic associate, “a biological male who was transitioning genders,” Robinson appeared to admit to the killing, in keeping with the doc. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson wrote of his motive.
Robinson’s mom informed investigators her son had turn out to be “more political” and “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented” during the last 12 months, in keeping with the doc.
Prosecutors have mentioned they plan to seek the death penalty in his case.
Kirk’s newest ebook, “Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life,” was launched earlier this week.