Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – A US judge said Friday the preliminary hearing into the killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk will be taken up again in September, delaying a decision on whether there is enough evidence to hold a murder trial. The move comes after a week of evidence being presented in the case against Tyler Robinson in a Utah court. The 23-year-old faces the death penalty for allegedly killing Kirk, who was shot in the neck on September 10 while speaking at one of his trademark events on a college campus.
The event was planned by Kirk’s right-wing youth organization, Turning Point, which campaigned for President Donald Trump. During this week’s hearings, prosecutors presented Robinson’s video gamer chats and text messages that they said prove he killed Kirk, because he was “fed up” with the “hate” spread by the influencer. But Robinson’s defense cast doubt on the validity of the DNA analysis linking him to the murder and has not indicated how he will plead.
Kirk became a popular leader in a Christian Nationalist movement that preaches traditional values while voicing intolerance for diversity and LGBTQ communities. Prosecutors allege Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his transgender roommate. On Friday, Judge Tony Graf said the preliminary hearing will resume in September, giving the lawyers time to present written statements before ruling on whether to go to trial.
In a statement, Kirk’s family said the hearing “marks an important step forward in the pursuit of justice.”
© 2024 AFP
