Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty
for the 22-year-old man accused of fatally shooting conservative political
activist Charlie Kirk.
Tyler Robinson, suspect in the assassination of conservative
activist Charlie Kirk, is set to appear in a Utah courtroom on Monday, where he
and his counsel will inform the court of whether they want a preliminary
hearing and a judge to determine if there is enough evidence against him to go
forward with a trial.
Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder
alongside a slew of other crimes, including two counts of witness tampering and
committing a violent crime in the presence of children.
Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty for
Robinson, 22, who was taken into custody after a 33-hour manhunt involving law
enforcement and the FBI.
Kirk died of a single gunshot wound whilst he was debating a
student during an event held at Utah Valley University. Footage taken from the
scene showed a suspect fleeing from a nearby rooftop before running into a
wooded area.
The Utah state court system provides individuals accused of
crimes with the option to waive their right to a preliminary hearing and
instead schedule an arraignment, where they can enter a plea.
Kathryn Nester, the lead attorney appointed to represent
Robinson, declined to comment on the case ahead of Monday's hearing.
The hearing in Provo is open to the public, just a few miles
from the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where Kirk was shot. Robinson
will appear virtually, according to reports.
Robinson was arrested at his parents' house in southwest
Utah after turning himself in for Kirk's murder.
Prosecutors have since released incriminating text messages
and DNA evidence they say links Robinson to the killing.
A note that Robinson had left for his romantic partner
before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s
leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it," Utah County
Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters earlier.
Gray also said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to
his partner, “I had enough of his hatred.”
The assassination of Kirk, a close ally of US President
Donald Trump who was credited with mobilising the youth vote, has led to an
outpouring of grief and galvanised Republicans who have vowed to carry on
Kirk's mission.
Many prominent Republicans are filling in at the upcoming
campus events Kirk was meant to attend through his political organisation
Turning Point USA, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Senator Mike Lee at
Utah State University on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of his death, Trump declared Kirk a
“martyr” for freedom and vowed to crack down on what he called the “radical
left".
