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Ongoing story / Charlie Kirk

The killing of Charlie Kirk: the case against Tyler Robinson

Overview · reviewed November 12, 2026

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah man, is charged with murder in the September 10, 2025, killing of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who founded Turning Point USA, who was shot from a rooftop while speaking at Utah Valley University.[1][2] Prosecutors say his text messages, a note and DNA evidence tie him to the shooting, and they are seeking the death penalty; his lawyers dispute the evidence.[1][3] In September 2026 a judge sent the case to trial, and Robinson pleaded not guilty.[4][5] His lawyers asked for jury selection to start in the second half of 2029, which Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, criticized, and on November 9 Judge Tony Graf set the trial for the summer of 2028.[6][7]

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Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Prosecutors say his text messages, a note and DNA evidence tie him to the shooting, and they are seeking the death penalty; his lawyers dispute the evidence.[1][3] In September 2026 a judge sent the case to trial, and Robinson pleaded not guilty.[4][5] His lawyers asked for jury selection to start in the second half of 2029, which Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, criticized, and on November 9 Judge Tony Graf set the trial for the summer of 2028.[6][7]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-09-08 (UTC): 64%, 137 of 214 tracked outlets (41 left, 50 center, 46 right)Week of 2025-09-15 (UTC): 45%, 86 of 191 tracked outlets (20 left, 36 center, 30 right)Week of 2025-09-22 (UTC): 2%, 3 of 189 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 2 right)Week of 2025-09-29 (UTC): 10%, 21 of 202 tracked outlets (3 left, 12 center, 6 right)Week of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): 7%, 13 of 174 tracked outlets (3 left, 7 center, 3 right)Week of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): 15%, 27 of 184 tracked outlets (6 left, 17 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): 10%, 17 of 166 tracked outlets (4 left, 10 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): 10%, 20 of 191 tracked outlets (5 left, 12 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): 5%, 9 of 177 tracked outlets (1 left, 8 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): 13%, 24 of 186 tracked outlets (3 left, 13 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): 4%, 6 of 166 tracked outlets (2 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): 4%, 8 of 190 tracked outlets (3 left, 4 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): 6%, 10 of 156 tracked outlets (3 left, 4 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): 4%, 7 of 175 tracked outlets (0 left, 5 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): 6%, 12 of 197 tracked outlets (4 left, 7 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): 6%, 11 of 186 tracked outlets (3 left, 6 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): 4%, 17 of 415 tracked outlets (1 left, 12 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-06-29 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 569 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 18%, 100 of 560 tracked outlets (17 left, 48 center, 35 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 559 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 561 tracked outlets (1 left, 2 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 8%, 44 of 545 tracked outlets (7 left, 21 center, 16 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): 2%, 9 of 464 tracked outlets (3 left, 5 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 15%, 72 of 475 tracked outlets (14 left, 34 center, 24 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 8%, 40 of 480 tracked outlets (7 left, 15 center, 18 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 6%, 29 of 479 tracked outlets (4 left, 19 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): 11%, 54 of 474 tracked outlets (7 left, 27 center, 20 right), so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 13 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (27 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 9, 2026 (so far)7272054 of 47411%
Oct 19, 2026419629 of 4796%
Sep 14, 20267151840 of 4808%
Aug 31, 202614342472 of 47515%
Aug 17, 20263519 of 4642%
Aug 10, 20267211644 of 5458%
Jul 27, 20261236 of 5611%
Jul 13, 20260066 of 5591%
Jul 6, 2026174835100 of 56018%
Jun 29, 20260213 of 5691%
Jun 22, 2026112417 of 4154%
Jun 1, 202636211 of 1866%
May 18, 202647112 of 1976%
May 4, 20260527 of 1754%
Apr 13, 202634310 of 1566%
Mar 30, 20263418 of 1904%
Mar 9, 20262316 of 1664%
Feb 23, 2026313824 of 18613%
Feb 2, 20261809 of 1775%
Jan 12, 2026512320 of 19110%
Dec 29, 2025410317 of 16610%
Dec 8, 2025617427 of 18415%
Oct 27, 202537313 of 1747%
Sep 29, 2025312621 of 20210%
Sep 22, 20250123 of 1892%
Sep 15, 202520363086 of 19145%
Sep 8, 2025415046137 of 21464%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 9, 2026 · first reported · Headline from The Oregonian

    Charlie Kirk’s family ‘deeply disappointed’ over trial date

Background

Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10, 2025.[8][9] Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called it a "political assassination."[10] Officials said the gunman most likely fired from a nearby rooftop.[2] Two men were detained and released, after FBI Director Kash Patel had declared online that "the subject" was in custody,[11] and the FBI released photos of a college-age person of interest.[12] On September 12, officials announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson, after a family member alerted authorities.[13] Authorities said he had told family of his opposition to Kirk's views.[14]

Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)

Prosecutors charged Robinson with murder on September 16 and said they would seek the death penalty.[1] Charging documents described texts with his roommate discussing his rifle, his motive and his planning,[15] and a note left beforehand saying he had the chance to kill one of the country's leading conservative voices.[1] A Discord account belonging to Robinson appeared to say "It was me" hours before he was taken into custody,[16] and Patel said DNA on a towel wrapped around a rifle found nearby matched him.[17] Robinson appeared in court in person for the first time in December 2025.[18]

Pretrial fights followed. His lawyers sought to disqualify the Utah County Attorney's office because a prosecutor's 18-year-old child was at the event; the judge, Tony Graf, declined.[19][20] The defense sought a delay after a federal bullet analysis came back inconclusive,[21] and the judge ruled that cameras would be allowed at trial.[22] In June 2026 he held prosecutors in contempt for comments about Robinson.[23] At a weeklong preliminary hearing in July, an officer described a "sniper pad" on the roof,[24] an investigator said video showed Robinson going onto the roof,[25] prosecutors presented DNA found on a screwdriver and a towel,[26] and a recorded statement played in court said Robinson told his roommate he "wishes he hadn't done it."[9] The defense questioned the reliability of the DNA testing.[27][3]

The defense then argued that Robinson was ineligible for the death penalty because the shooter "hit the intended target" and endangered no one else,[28] while prosecutors said an engraving on one of the cartridges showed that he targeted Kirk for his politics.[29] In early September 2026, Graf sent the case to trial with the death penalty still possible.[4] Kirk's family has since filed a wrongful death notice against university officials.[30] On November 9, Graf set Robinson's trial for the summer of 2028, and Kirk's family said it was "deeply disappointed" by the date.[7][31] The response to Kirk's killing and his legacy and the firings and fights over speech that followed are followed in their own arcs.

Supporting stories (31)
  1. Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing feared being shot by police before surrendering, sheriff says
  2. Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was shot provided less security than other venues as he toured nation
  3. Lawyers for man charged with assassinating Charlie Kirk question reliability of evidence
  4. Charlie Kirk's alleged killer could face death penalty after judge rules he'll stand trial
  5. Here’s what unfolded in court before Charlie Kirk’s accused killer pleaded not guilty — and what comes next
  6. Defense attorneys in Charlie Kirk's killing say they need several years to prepare for trial
  7. Judge sets trial date for Charlie Kirk’s accused killer for summer 2028
  8. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot at Utah event
  9. Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing said 'he wishes he hadn't done it,' roommate says in video
  10. Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer in custody, President Trump says
  11. Patel faces congressional hearings after missteps in Kirk assassination probe and turmoil at FBI
  12. FBI releases photo of 'person of interest' in Charlie Kirk assassination as manhunt intensifies
  13. Charlie Kirk shooting suspect identified as Tyler Robinson
  14. Charlie Kirk assassination suspect not cooperating with authorities: Utah governor
  15. See the text messages that prosecutors say Charlie Kirk shooting suspect exchanged with his roommate
  16. Charlie Kirk murder suspect appeared to confess to killing on Discord, company says
  17. DNA evidence found near scene of Charlie Kirk's shooting matches suspect, FBI director says
  18. Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson makes first in-person court appearance
  19. Charlie Kirk murder: Suspect Tyler Robinson to be back in court as lawyers argue to have prosecutors dismissed
  20. Charlie Kirk murder: Judge denies defense request to disqualify prosecutors in suspect Tyler Robinson's case
  21. Lawyers for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk ask to delay prelim
  22. Charlie Kirk murder: Judge rules cameras allowed in courtroom for Tyler Robinson trial
  23. Judge for Charlie Kirk shooting case holds prosecutor in contempt, keeps death penalty on the table
  24. Former officer describes finding a 'sniper pad' on nearby rooftop after Charlie Kirk assassination
  25. Investigator says video shows defendant going onto roof to kill Charlie Kirk
  26. DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk killing disputed by defendant's lawyers
  27. DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk assassination disputed by defendant’s lawyers
  28. Charlie Kirk shooting suspect ineligible for death penalty: Defense
  29. Prosecutors say bullet engraving shows Charlie Kirk was targeted for his politics
  30. Charlie Kirk’s family accuses university of ‘stunning’ security failures
  31. Charlie Kirk’s family ‘deeply disappointed’ over trial date

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 78 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Charlie Kirk’s family ‘deeply disappointed’ over trial dateHeadline from NJ.com / Star-Ledger · 6 outlets
  2. Judge sets trial date for Charlie Kirk’s accused killer for summer 2028Headline from KTVZ Bend · 49 outlets

October 2026

  1. Defense attorneys in Charlie Kirk's killing say they need several years to prepare for trialHeadline from WCBD News 2 · 29 outlets

September 2026

  1. Kirk family’s powerful evidence faces legal twist that could upend wrongful death case, experts warnHeadline from New York Post · 2 outlets
  2. Charlie Kirk’s family accuses university of ‘stunning’ security failuresHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 41 outlets
  3. Here’s what unfolded in court before Charlie Kirk’s accused killer pleaded not guilty — and what comes nextHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 8 outlets
  4. Charlie Kirk’s family reacts after case sent to trialHeadline from MLive · 5 outlets

August 2026

  1. Charlie Kirk's alleged killer could face death penalty after judge rules he'll stand trialHeadline from CBS News · 63 outlets
  2. Tyler Robinson will go to trial, face possible death penalty for Charlie Kirk killing, judge rulesHeadline from New York Post · 10 outlets
  3. Prosecutors say bullet engraving shows Charlie Kirk was targeted for his politicsHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 9 outlets
  4. Defense argues against death penalty in Charlie Kirk caseHeadline from Billings Gazette · 1 outlet
  5. Accused Charlie Kirk shooter ineligible for death penalty, defense arguesHeadline from BRPROUD Baton Rouge · 3 outlets
  6. Charlie Kirk shooting suspect ineligible for death penalty: DefenseHeadline from News Nation Now · 31 outlets
  7. Tyler Robinson's attorneys argue against the death penalty in filingHeadline from UPI · 10 outlets

July 2026

  1. Prosecutors allege Tyler Robinson targeted Charlie Kirk over his religious and political viewsHeadline from Washington Examiner · 7 outlets
  2. Tyler Robinson's father runs thriving masonry business while Utah taxpayers face massive defense tabHeadline from Christian News Alerts · 6 outlets
  3. Note from suspect in Charlie Kirk killing revealed during hearingHeadline from WHNT · 2 outlets
  4. Lawyers for man charged with assassinating Charlie Kirk question reliability of evidenceHeadline from WKYC Cleveland · 17 outlets
  5. Lawyers for man charged with killing Charlie Kirk question reliability of evidenceHeadline from The Republic · 9 outlets
  6. Redacted letter from Tyler Robinson to trans lover accidentally shown in courtHeadline from New York Post · 5 outlets
  7. Takeaways from the preliminary hearing for Charlie Kirk’s accused killerHeadline from KRDO · 7 outlets
  8. Utah court views taped statement by roommate of man accused of killing Charlie KirkHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 6 outlets
  9. Charlie Kirk hearing: Prosecutors plan to play redacted statements from defendant's roommateHeadline from WNEP · 26 outlets
  10. Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing said 'he wishes he hadn't done it,' roommate says in videoHeadline from Charleston Gazette-Mail · 37 outlets
  11. DNA evidence from Charlie Kirk assassination disputed by defendant’s lawyersHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 7 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →