Crime
Judge Denies Erika Kirk’s Request to Make All Evidence Public at Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect’s Hearing
Erika Kirk‘s effort to make evidence public was denied during the Thursday, July 9, pretrial hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting her husband, Charlie Kirk, last September.
As Globe previously reported, Charlie’s family asked on Wednesday, July 8, for key evidence to be made public. Now, according to multiple outlets, including Fox News Digital, Judge Tony Graf has ruled against it.
“The court has considered the request that exhibits be displayed in real time to the courtroom. After careful consideration, the court determines that not all exhibits will be visually displayed to the gallery and notes that it will use a tiered method as described first, whether it will be admitted to the court for consideration as it relates to probable cause. Second, whether it will be displayed only to the gallery, and third, if it will be published through the camera, to the public at large,” Judge Graf said, per the outlet.
Thursday is the fourth day of Robinson’s preliminary hearing in Provo, Utah. One day prior, attorneys argued over whether jurors and the public should be allowed to view a recorded police interview with Robinson’s former roommate, Lance Twiggs.
Erika’s attorney argued that making the evidence public was necessary to keep the public informed.
“The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted in this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to see,” Neiman said in court. “To not be transparent here, to not be open, to not let the world see what happened, will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system.”
Robinson is accused of shooting and killing Charlie on September 10, 2025. The Turning Point USA cofounder was speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University when he was shot in the neck. He was transported to a local hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Robinson turned himself in roughly 36 hours after the shooting.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last throughout the week, ending on Friday, July 10.
Since Charlie’s death, Erika has assumed the role of CEO of Turning Point USA.
