(LifeSiteNews) — Preliminary hearings began this week for the murder of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, bringing his widow Erika face-to-face with the alleged perpetrator.
Kirk, the head of conservative campus outreach group Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University (UVU). Two days later, authorities apprehended and accused 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of the shooting, detailing how he was motivated by his view of Kirk’s conservative views as “hateful.”
Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his male roommate, who believed he was female and was in the process of “transitioning.” The Justice Department said last year it was also investigating who else may have had advance knowledge of the assassination, such as the members of a pro-LGBT message board Robinson frequented, though no bombshells have since been announced.
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty.
Monday saw the opening of a preliminary hearing in the case, meant to establish probable cause before progressing to a full jury trial. Local Utah affiliate ABC4 reports that testimony so far includes Officer Christopher Bagley of the Spanish Fork Police Department, who had been with the UVU Police Department at the time of the shooting and witnessed it; and Utah State Bureau of Investigation major crimes agent David Hull, who testified about his collection and review of video evidence he said established Robinson’s movements on campus. He also attested to Kirk’s cause of death by gunshot.
In attendance for the hearings are Kirk’s parents as well as Erika Kirk, the first time any of the family members have shared a courtroom with Robinson.
“Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and father. Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children,” the Kirk family said in a statement. “We remain deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and kindness we have received. This outpouring has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives. Out of respect for the judicial process, we will not be commenting further at this time. We ask for continued privacy as we navigate this process and immense grief.”
The occasion was also marked by new comments from Candace Owens, the popular podcaster fired by the Daily Wire in 2024 after a series of statements on topics ranging from Jews to pro-lifers to Andrew Tate. Since Kirk’s death, Owens has had an ongoing feud with TPUSA and Erika, suggesting Robinson was merely the scapegoat for a much deeper conspiracy.
On Monday, Owens issued two posts on X, one sharing an old picture of herself with Kirk declaring, “One more fight, Charlie. I don’t fear these demons. We will win.” The other claimed the hearing was merely a “show trial” rigged against Robinson’s defense team, and the “real trial will come later.”
TPUSA officials and allies have vociferously disputed such claims, and spokesperson Andrew Kolvet responded to Owens’ latest by claiming she and Kirk were not friends, but rather Kirk simply tried to “manage” her to keep the association “light and polite so you wouldn’t turn” on the organization.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced the day after Kirk’s shooting he would be awarding Kirk, who had been just a month shy of age 32, the Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. October 14, Kirk’s birthday, has been designated a National Day of Remembrance for the murdered activist.
Kirk’s murder reignited an ongoing debate about the link between rhetoric and violence in politics, with many blaming Robinson’s actions in part on years of Democrat officeholders and left-wing activists not merely disagreeing with conservatives about issues such as transgenderism, but classifying disagreement as hateful and oppressive.
The far-left Anti-Defamation League (ADF) took down its controversial “Glossary of Extremism and Hate,” which had identified TPUSA as a “hate group,” but many leftists continued to express hatred of Kirk and even pleasure at his death, particularly among academia. Left-wing talk host Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended for falsely insinuating Kirk’s killer was a member of Trump’s MAGA base, despite Kirk’s strong support of Trump.