Prosecutors played video evidence Tuesday that they say shows Tyler Robinson perched on a Utah Valley University rooftop and fatally shooting Charlie Kirk before fleeing the scene.
The video compilation was shown in court on the second day of a preliminary hearing in the case against Mr. Robinson, 23, who is charged with aggravated murder and could face the death penalty.
Prosecutors say Mr. Robinson made three trips to the campus on the day he allegedly shot and killed Kirk. Before climbing to the rooftop and firing the fatal shot, he ate at the Chick-fil-A on the university campus.
Cameras mounted around the campus tracked Mr. Robinson beginning on the morning of Sept. 10, when his Dodge Charger was seen driving into a parking garage around 8:30 a.m.
David Hull, who served as a lead investigator in the case, testified that Mr. Robinson made three trips to the campus on Sept. 10, including one in which he allegedly assassinated Kirk.
The defendant also returned a fourth time after midnight on Sept. 11, Mr. Hull said the video footage shows.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last several days. Prosecutors are laying out their case against Mr. Robinson, and Judge Tony Graf will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to a trial.
Prosecutors plan to put forward dozens of exhibits this week that they say link Mr. Robinson to the murder of Kirk, a conservative influencer who co-founded Turning Point USA, which helped President Trump win young voters in 2024.
Prosecutors plan to introduce a recorded statement from Lance Twiggs, who was Mr. Robinson’s romantic partner and to whom prosecutors say Mr. Robinson confessed to shooting Kirk.
Prosecutors will also show photos of the rifle used in the shooting, DNA evidence tying the weapon and ammunition to Mr. Robinson, plus the Utah Valley University surveillance footage.
Prosecutors say the extensive video evidence pins the crime on Mr. Robinson.
Judge Graf rejected arguments by Mr. Robinson’s defense team to exclude the video.
A man prosecutors identified as Mr. Robinson is seen walking out of the garage on the morning of Sept. 10, returning to it about an hour later and driving away. He returned to the campus on foot at about 10 a.m., this time carrying a blue backpack. He was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, shorts and Converse sneakers.
He visited a parking structure, then went to the Chick-fil-A in a nearby campus building, purchased food, sat down and ate the food.
Cameras tracked him moving across the campus and into a wooded area. He returned to campus a short time later, but without the backpack and wearing a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
He is seen on video moving through two campus buildings to an area with access to the Losee Center’s rooftop where the shot was fired.
He left campus once again around 11 a.m.
When the man alleged to be Mr. Robinson returned to the campus on foot around eight minutes before noon, video footage shows him walking with a limp and again carrying the backpack.
He’s seen walking up the stairs of the parking structure, one step at a time, as he keeps his right leg from bending.
He then leaves the parking structure and is tracked approaching the Losee Center.
Mr. Hull testified that the video shows Mr. Robinson “running across the rooftop of the Losee building to what would be the southwest corner of the building, crouching down and then crawling to the corner of the building.”
The video shows the individual “lying prone and remaining in that position until the shot was fired around 12:23 p.m.” Mr. Hull said.
Mr. Robinson is then seen moving across the roof again, lowering himself and jumping off the building before hurrying away. The video shows him carrying an object and heading to a wooded area.
“It appears to be black and it appears to be longer,” Mr. Hull said of the object.
The video shows Mr. Robinson returning to campus after midnight, Mr. Hull said.
The young man encountered a police officer working campus security, who later said he interacted with Mr. Robinson in the car and took down his license plate.
