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DNA, videos, and a judge
A weeklong preliminary hearing resumed Tuesday as prosecutors sought to convince Judge Tony Graf to send Tyler Robinson to trial for the alleged killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, with testimony focusing on surveillance footage and forensic evidence from the day of the shooting.
“Bakker tells the court DNA testing did not identify Robinson as the source”
Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull testified that prosecutors played clips from various Utah Valley University surveillance cameras showing Robinson around the campus, including that Hull narrated Robinson driving into a parking garage, walking away, returning and leaving.
FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker told the court that DNA testing did not identify Robinson as the source but found he could not be excluded as a “possible contributor” to DNA recovered from the towel wrapped around the rifle and a screwdriver found on the roof.
In court, prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred over whether surveillance video should be shown publicly, and Graf ruled that a Turning Point USA statement would be admitted provisionally while also saying it would not be played publicly or shown to the courtroom or media at that stage.
Defense challenges motive evidence
Defense attorney Michael Burt pressed FBI forensic examiner Amanda Bakker on the origin of the towel used for DNA analysis, asking whether investigators told her the towel was not found in a place where Twiggs’ DNA would be expected.
Burt also questioned Bakker about DNA testing limits and accuracy, while prosecutors argued that the evidence and the context of Turning Point USA were relevant to the victim-targeting enhancement.
Judge Graf provisionally admitted a statement from Turning Point USA board member David Engelhardt over defense objection, and the court record reflected that Graf said the statement would not be played publicly or shown to the courtroom or media while he decided later whether it should be fully admitted.
In a separate dispute over what the public would see, Newsweek reported Graf reversed an earlier decision excluding a modified video from evidence while keeping it shielded from public viewing because it had not been adequately redacted.
Next steps and what’s at risk
Prosecutors continued presenting evidence as the preliminary hearing entered its second day, with the hearing set to resume Wednesday at 1 p.m. local time, and with Robinson still not having entered a plea.
“Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination”
WHEC reported Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination on the Utah Valley University campus, for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and it said the preliminary hearing is set to resume Wednesday at 1 p.m.
KUTV said Bakker testified DNA analysis initially identified three DNA profiles on both the screwdriver and the towel recovered from the roof, and that the testing identified two of those profiles as Robinson and Lance Twiggs.
As the case proceeds, the stakes in the courtroom include whether the judge will allow the case to move forward to trial, and the sources describe that Graf must determine whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence to proceed.