PROVO, Utah (NewsNation) — Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon via video link from the county jail, where he remains held without bail.
Prosecutors charged Robinson with seven separate counts and confirmed they will seek the death penalty. He appeared emotionless, wearing a protective vest and special gown in jail and stared straight ahead as the charges against him were read in court.
A pre-trial protective order was granted for Kirk’s widow, Erika. According to Utah Code 78B-7-803, pretrial protective orders are standard for family members of victims and allow for any relief or provisions that prevent communication from the alleged perpetrator toward the victim or their family.
The next pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. MT Sept. 29. Robinson does not have an attorney assigned to him yet, but attorney Greg Skordas said that he will have one by the next court date.
Utah prosecutors seek death penalty for Charlie Kirk’s accused killer
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, has also been 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 commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child. 
Tyler Robinson, 22, is seen in this mugshot after his arrest for the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of right-wing political influencer Charlie Kirk. September 2025. (State of Utah) 
This photo released by the Utah Governor’s Office on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025 shows Tyler Robinson. (Utah Governor’s Office via AP)
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said this will serve as a preliminary hearing, at which a judge will review the state’s probable cause evidence to decide if the case should proceed to trial. Unlike in many states, Utah does not require a grand jury indictment.
Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah native, has been 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 commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
“To get aggravated murder, they’re basically making the argument that Tyler Robinson killed Charlie Kirk in a way that posed a grave danger to others … opening fire in a crowd,” Jesse Weber, a legal contributor to NewsNation and a Law and Crime Network host, told “NewsNation.” “Yes, the target was Charlie Kirk, but when you open fire with 3K people around, that presents a grave risk of death to others.”
Tyler Robinson confessed to killing Kirk, court document states
Court documents obtained by NewsNation show a text exchange between Robinson and his roommate, which shows that he allegedly confessed to killing Kirk. According to those documents, the roommate said he received a text message from Robinson on Sept. 10, saying “drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard.”
The charging document stated, “The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.’”
FBI Director Kash Patel recently revealed new evidence tying Robinson to the scene of last week’s shooting at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was speaking. Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and an ally of President Donald Trump, was widely credited with energizing young Republican voters and playing a key role in Trump’s 2024 presidential victory.
Patel said investigators have been piecing together evidence, including a rifle and ammunition engraved with anti-fascist and meme culture messaging and references, as well as other items reportedly linked to Robinson through DNA evidence, including a towel wrapped around a rifle and a screwdriver found on the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired.
Indictment reveals Charlie Kirk suspect’s possible motive
Federal and state authorities have alleged Robinson was radicalized by “leftist ideology,” citing a reportedly romantic relationship with a transgender roommate.
According to Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray in a news briefing Tuesday, Robinson told his parents he killed Kirk because “there was too much evil and Kirk spreads too much hate.”
The indictment showed Robinson also told his roommate the same thing, that he shot Kirk because “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.”
He told his roommate he had planned to shoot Kirk for “a bit over a week.”
Weber said federal charges are also a possibility, depending on the evidence uncovered by investigators.
NewsNation’s KTVX contributed to this report.