Attorney unpacks day one of court hearing for Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's accused killer

The preliminary hearing to decide whether the case of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, will go to trial wrapped up its first day on Monday.

The pretrial court hearing will determine if there is enough probable cause to take Robinson’s case to trial. He is being charged with aggravated murder in connection with Kirk’s shooting while the late Turning Point USA CEO was speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Former prosecutor and career trial attorney Wendy Patrick spoke to the Just the News, No Noise TV show on Monday, providing an analysis of the hearing thus far.

She believes the defense will do what it can to keep the video footage of Kirk’s assassination out of the case, saying it's “explosive in nature” and “one of the most damning pieces of evidence in any type of trial like this.” 

“Unfortunately for those of us that saw it, it is absolutely triggering,” she continued.

Patrick also noted the overall stability and civility of the hearing: neither side has raised their voices, they’ve maintained a good demeanor, tones are “adequate” and everyone — including the judge — has remained polite. 

“The defense is testing the waters to see how much of what type of evidence the judge is going to admit, because that’s going to inform their trial strategy," she continued, adding that as the hearing continues, the defense will gain an idea of which objections will be overruled and which will be sustained.

Lodging standing objections to certain types of evidence — meaning recitations are likely to decrease — will cut time, Patrick said. She added that at a certain point, the judge will know whether he has enough evidence for the case to proceed.

"It'll be interesting to see if he behaves as many of his peers do, and begins to signal to the parties that he's heard enough, and there is plenty to go to trial," she noted.

The hearing “picked up the pace” throughout the day, Patrick said. She predicts it will wrap up by Friday.

“That assassination really had a worldwide reverberation," she continued. “I hope it's a wake-up call."

Katherine Pugh is a reporter for Just the News. Follow her on X for more coverage.