By Euronews with AP
Published on
Tyler Robinson, suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is set to appear in a Utah courtroom on Monday, where he and his counsel will inform the court of whether they want a preliminary hearing and a judge to determine if there is enough evidence against him to go forward with a trial.
Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder alongside a slew of other crimes, including two counts of witness tampering and committing a violent crime in the presence of children.
Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who was taken into custody after a 33-hour manhunt involving law enforcement and the FBI.
Kirk died of a single gunshot wound whilst he was debating a student during an event held at Utah Valley University. Footage taken from the scene showed a suspect fleeing from a nearby rooftop before running into a wooded area.
The Utah state court system provides individuals accused of crimes with the option to waive their right to a preliminary hearing and instead schedule an arraignment, where they can enter a plea.
Kathryn Nester, the lead attorney appointed to represent Robinson, declined to comment on the case ahead of Monday’s hearing.
The hearing in Provo is open to the public, just a few miles from the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where Kirk was shot. Robinson will appear virtually, according to reports.
Robinson was arrested at his parents’ house in southwest Utah after turning himself in for Kirk’s murder.
Prosecutors have since released incriminating text messages and DNA evidence they say links Robinson to the killing.
A note that Robinson had left for his romantic partner before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters earlier.
Gray also said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner, “I had enough of his hatred.”
The assassination of Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump who was credited with mobilising the youth vote, has led to an outpouring of grief and galvanised Republicans who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission.
Many prominent Republicans are filling in at the upcoming campus events Kirk was meant to attend through his political organisation Turning Point USA, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Senator Mike Lee at Utah State University on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of his death, Trump declared Kirk a “martyr” for freedom and vowed to crack down on what he called the “radical left”.
