Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, is asking a Utah court to move quickly in deciding whether the man accused of killing her husband should stand trial.
Hours after the week-long preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson concluded Friday, Erika Kirk filed a request asking the court to issue its probable cause determination no later than the September 1 hearing, when Judge Ryan Graf is scheduled to hear final arguments on whether the case will proceed to trial.
“The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, and he must receive one. He is not, however, entitled to cause undue delay in the criminal justice process. The Victim’s Family is independently entitled to a speedy resolution under Utah Code § 77-38-7(2),” the filing states.
Robinson is charged in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. The court is expected to hear up to four hours of oral arguments on September 1 before Graf determines whether prosecutors have established probable cause. Robinson is also expected to enter a plea at that time.
Following the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, the Kirk family released a statement calling the proceedings “an important step forward.”
“The conclusion of the preliminary hearing marks an important step forward in the pursuit of justice for Charlie. Our family is grateful for the prayers, support, and kindness that has been extended to us, especially through these unimaginably painful and emotionally demanding proceedings.
“As difficult as these last few days have been, it brings our family comfort to know that the world has witnessed the overwhelming evidence of what occurred to Charlie that day.
“Nothing will ever undo the loss of our beloved Charlie. As this case moves into its next phase, we pray that truth will continue to be heard through a process that is fair, transparent, and grounded in the facts.”
Friday’s hearing also included testimony from ATF forensic biologist Caitlin Oliver, who was called by the defense. She testified that DNA analysis cannot determine how genetic material was deposited onto an item and that forensic testing cannot establish conclusions with complete certainty.
During cross-examination by prosecutors, Oliver testified that DNA recovered from portions of the rifle and cartridge casings was “at least 1 trillion times more likely” to have originated from Robinson as the major contributor and an unknown unrelated individual than from two unknown unrelated individuals. She added that the probability of an unrelated person producing the same level of support was “less than one in a trillion.”
At the request of Charlie Kirk’s family, jurors and those in the courtroom viewed surveillance video that was not shown on the public livestream.
