Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, has pleaded not guilty as a judge kept the death penalty on the table.
The 23-year-old alleged shooter of Mr Kirk denied aggravated murder, a capital offence in Utah, and six other charges in connection with the Utah Valley University shooting.
The death of the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA during a campus event reverberated throughout the political world – President Donald Trump ordered flags to be flown half mast and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said it was a “very dark day” for democracy.
Mr Kirk’s widow, Erika, and his parents, Robert and Kathryn, were present for the hearing.
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Mr Robinson was seen in court wearing a grey suit and occasionally consulting with his lawyers in the Provo court.
Defence lawyers aimed to have the death penalty taken off the table, but prosecutors argued that aggravating factors, including shooting into a crowd, warranted capital punishment.
Utah County prosecutor Ryan McBride laid out evidence which he said proved Robinson was a threat to others at the Q&A event.
Pictures presented to the court showed Mr Robinson posed a “great risk of death” to others as Mr Kirk’s security detail was just feet away from the Conservative speaker, Mr McBride added.
The four round in the rifle were evidence that if Mr Kirk’s shooter missed, he was willing to fire more rounds, the prosecutor also told the court.
He said: “He lay down in a prone position, and he would have seen this mass of people, of 3,000-plus people there for the event, took aim, put his crosshairs on Charlie Kirk and fired.”
Defending, Staci Visser insisted only Mr Kirk was a target.
“There is one act. There is one shot. There is one bullet. There is one victim,” she told the court.
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“There was no evidence that would suggest that anyone else was threatened.”
Alleged DNA evidence, confessions to loved ones and a taped video statement addressed to roommate and romantic partner Lance Twiggs were all raised during the hearing’s closing arguments.
“We know that the defendant is the shooter… first, because of the video evidence; second, because of the DNA; third, because of his admissions; and fourth, because of circumstantial evidence,” Mr McBride added.
Mr McBride said the suspect was “dressed to kill” on the day of the shooting and had a motive to carry out the act because he viewed Mr Kirk’s views on transgender issues as “repugnant”.
Prosecutors argued Mr Robinson was wearing long pants used to “obscure the rifle he had concealed down his pants”.
The legal team also alleged his DNA was found on his grandfather’s rifle stashed in a wooden area near campus after the shooting, as well as a towel it wrapped in and a screwdriver recovered near the scene.
At a memorial held after her husband’s death, Mrs Kirk, who has now taken leadership of Turning Point USA, said she forgave Mr Kirk’s killer.
Mr Robinson will next appear in court on October 23, when a trial date is expected to be set.
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