Tyler Robinson was seen walking the campus, eating at Chick‑fil‑A, and engaging with staff before allegedly shooting activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a new set of footage shown to the court during a second day of a preliminary hearing.
Prosecutor David Hull testified that the video places Robinson on campus about four hours before the shooting, wearing a T‑shirt and shorts. He is next seen buying a meal at Chick‑fil‑A and interacting with members of Kirk’s Turning Point USA group. Roughly 90 minutes later, Robinson is observed returning, this time in different clothing and with a limp, heading toward the Losee Building and eventually climbing a rooftop where the fatal shot occurred.
After the death, the video shows the suspect leaving the roof in a short burst of speed, carrying an unidentified object, and making quick exit toward wooded areas near the campus perimeter. A rifle was later recovered in that area, and investigators identified DNA that matched Robinson, his roommate, and his partner.
Robinson has not entered an admission of guilt. His defense, led by Kathy Nester, has consistently objected to evidence—including claims that footage may have been edited and that witnesses presented contradictory accounts of a different suspect on the rooftop. The defense is also seeking to preclude the death penalty and questions the forensic analysis provided by FBI analysts.
Judge Lisa Graf will not determine guilt or innocence at this stage. She will decide whether the evidence shows reasonable grounds for the case to go to trial. In U.S. practice, this threshold is usually far lower than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard required at a jury trial.
