Additional Coverage:
- Surveillance video timeline tracks accused Charlie Kirk assassin across UVU campus before fatal rooftop shot (foxnews.com)
Surveillance Footage Key in Preliminary Hearing for Man Accused of Killing Turning Point USA Founder
PROVO, Utah – Surveillance video played a pivotal role this week during the preliminary hearing of Tyler Robinson, the Utah man charged with the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA.
The footage, shown Tuesday at Utah Valley University’s 4th District Court, purportedly traces Robinson’s movements on campus on September 10, 2025. It covers his arrival hours before the fatal shooting, his activities throughout the day, and his departure moments after Kirk was killed.
David Hull, an agent with the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, testified that campus security cameras helped investigators reconstruct the suspect’s path. They focused on a figure seen on the roof of the Losee Center for Student Success, identified by prosecutors as Robinson, from where the fatal shot was allegedly fired.
While the video does not capture the actual moment of the shooting, prosecutors say it shows the individual accessing the roof, moving into position near the building’s edge, and leaving shortly after the shot was fired.
Robinson, 23, faces aggravated murder charges, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. He has not yet entered a plea. The weeklong hearing is intended to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
Timeline of Events According to Testimony
- Around 8:30 a.m.: A vehicle believed to be Robinson’s arrives at a UVU parking garage. Hull testified the car matched registration records and had distinctive wheels. Robinson, wearing a red or maroon T-shirt, gray or olive shorts, and Converse shoes, was seen walking onto campus.
- Morning hours: Robinson is seen engaging with representatives from Turning Point USA at the amphitheater before returning to his vehicle and leaving campus.
- Shortly after 10 a.m.: Robinson returns on foot carrying a blue backpack, stops at a Chick-fil-A inside the Sorensen Center to eat, then crosses Campus Drive into a wooded area, later returning without the backpack.
- Before 11 a.m.: He is captured moving through several campus buildings, eventually accessing a roof railing at the Losee Center, then leaving campus just before 11 a.m.
- Around 12:15 p.m.: Robinson returns, wearing different clothing but the same shoes, and appears to have an unusual gait or limp. Surveillance shows him ascending stairs in the parking structure and moving onto the Losee Center roof.
- At approximately 12:23 p.m.: The figure identified as Robinson is seen running across the rooftop, crouching near the southwest corner, and lying prone moments before the fatal shot.
- Immediately after: The individual stands, moves across the roof, then lowers himself from the building, jumping into a grassy area while carrying an object that investigators suspect may be a firearm, though no gun is visible in the footage.
Hull testified that investigators identified a nearby wooded area of interest where a rifle was later found. Robinson was seen entering this area multiple times on the day of the shooting.
Surveillance also showed Robinson’s vehicle in the early morning hours of September 11 near campus, where a security officer recorded the license plate. The vehicle was linked to Robinson and his mother. The officer described the driver as a male believed to be Robinson.
Courtroom Proceedings and Next Steps
During Thursday’s proceedings, Judge Tony Graf sanctioned media members after an exhibit was accidentally broadcast. The judge paused additional exhibit presentations for the day but later allowed the final video compilation as an exception.
Judge Graf scheduled oral arguments on the evidence for September 1 at 10 a.m. Robinson remains without a plea.
Following the hearing, Kirk’s family urged the court to advance the case promptly, emphasizing the “overwhelming evidence” presented. They noted the upcoming one-year anniversary of Kirk’s death and Robinson’s 10 months in custody.
“The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, and he must receive one,” the family’s attorneys wrote. “He is not, however, entitled to cause undue delay in the criminal justice process.”
The court will now consider whether the case will move forward to trial based on the evidence presented.