Erika Kirk asked Judge Tony Graf to let every exhibit tied to Charlie Kirk’s killing be shown in open court during Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing in Provo. The request came on the third day of the hearing, where the judge is weighing whether there is enough evidence to move ahead with a trial.
In a three-page filing, Erika Kirk said the family went to court “to be present at these proceedings and to bear witness to the evidence concerning their husband and son.” Jeffrey Neiman said in court on Wednesday that the omission of some evidence would “create doubt and distrust in the judicial system.”
Erika Kirk filing in Provo
The filing said the Kirk family sat in the room while evidence was admitted but not shown to them. Erika Kirk argued that their right to be present becomes hollow if they cannot see items shown to the court, and she said the lack of transparency will let speculation and conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s killing continue in the public domain.
The hearing concerns a shooting at Utah Valley University last September. Judge Tony Graf is presiding over the preliminary hearing in Provo and will decide whether there is sufficient evidence to move ahead with a trial for Tyler Robinson.
Video and forensic disputes
The hearing has already included video footage said to show Tyler Robinson entering the campus and climbing onto a roof. Law enforcement officers and university staff also described what they saw and heard.
Michael Burt said circled highlights and other changes on some of the videos could influence jurors. There was also a dispute over DNA testing and the chain of custody of forensic evidence, including a screwdriver found on the campus roof, a Mauser 98 rifle found in nearby woodland, and the towel it was wrapped in.
Lance Twiggs interview
Richard Novak sought to stop the public airing of an interview with Lance Twiggs. He said prosecutors would portray Twiggs’s statements as a confession by Tyler Robinson, while prosecutors said Robinson wrote, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Prosecutors also said Robinson texted Lance Twiggs that he targeted Charlie Kirk because he had “had enough of his hatred.” Lance Twiggs spoke to authorities on 12 September and again on 20 April, and Judge Tony Graf had not yet ruled on the admissibility of that interview on Wednesday.
