Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray said Tuesday that the evidence collected against Tyler Robinson for the murder of Charlie Kirk included finding his DNA on the trigger of the murder weapon.
Kirk, 31, was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10 when he was fatally shot. The Turning Point USA founder was a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and is survived by his wife and their two young children.
On Tuesday, Gray officially announced the seven charges against Robinson were aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. The state is seeking the death penalty.
Robinson is being held without bail in the Utah County Jail, and is scheduled to make his first appearance at 3 pm MT. He will appear virtually, the court will confirm he has an attorney present to represent him, and then the charges will be read to him.
After announcing the charges against Robinson, Gray read through the evidence contained in the criminal information his office had filed, including evidence collected at the scene, surveillance video, information provided by Robinson’s parents, and text messages Robinson exchanged with his roommate, with whom he is believed to have been having a romantic relationship.
A “bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel” that “contained one spent round and three unspent rounds”
“DNA consistent with the defendant was found on the trigger, other parts of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two of the three unfired cartridges, and the towel,” said Gray.
Later during the press conference, after a detailed reading of the evidence contained in the criminal information, Gray emphasized that “these are allegations, and like the evidence set forth in this statement, those allegations, what you’ve heard from the media, even from state and federal officials, has not been tested in the crucible of a jury trial.”
He added that his office would be selective in what further information was released “to ensure a fair and impartial trial” and that Robinson was “presumed innocent until we, the state, prove to an impartial jury of defendant’s peers his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“As prosecutors, we bear the burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” he concluded. “But make no mistake, we welcome this burden.”
Watch the clip above via CNN.