Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer fights DNA evidence as court hears death penalty case

The man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk is attempting to undermine key DNA evidence as his legal team fights prosecutors’ bid to seek the death penalty.

Tyler Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder following the fatal shooting of Charlie at Utah Valley University in September 2025.

He also faces additional charges, including obstruction of justice after prosecutors alleged he attempted to dispose of evidence. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

The arguments emerged during a preliminary hearing in Utah, where prosecutors are seeking to prove there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to a full trial.

Prosecutors say there is DNA evidence linking Robinson to a bolt-action rifle recovered from a wooded area near the crime scene.

In addition, newly released footage played in court appears to show a man prosecutors identified as Robinson walking around campus, climbing onto the roof of the Losee Building before the shooting and fleeing moments after the fatal shot was fired.

Investigators also testified that a rifle was later recovered from a wooded area where they believe the suspect escaped.

The defence has repeatedly challenged surveillance footage shown, arguing some of the videos had been edited and questioning whether they definitively identify Robinson.

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Defence attorney Michael Burt also challenged the reliability of the forensic testing while questioning FBI analyst Amanda Bakker.

“She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples because she didn’t do the sequence testing,” Michael argued.

Amanda later testified that DNA recovered from Robinson’s roommate, Lance Twiggs, contained genetic material from two people.

Jennifer Faumuina, of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, testified those two contributors were Lance and “very likely” Robinson.

The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude this week, with Judge Tony Graf deciding only whether prosecutors have presented sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. He will not determine Robinson’s guilt or innocence at this stage.

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Featured image via Instagram @charliekirk1776 and Utah Department of Public Safety