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| This is what happens when the fourth turning meets fifth generation warfare. | |
| Thank you. | |
| A commentator, international social media sensation, and foreman Navy Intelligence Veteran. | |
| This is Human Events with your host, Jack Pesobic. | |
| Christ is king. | |
| As long as there is blood in my veins and air in my lungs, I will make sure that the radical left, the media, and the Democrats never forget the name of Charlie Kirk. | |
| We are here, not because we want to be here, not because we choose to be here. | |
| This wasn't some accident, but you listen to the media and they treat it like it was just a car crash, a tragic train derailment, a plane crash. | |
| No. | |
| No. | |
| And don't you ever let them trick you with their words, their wicked twisting of words. | |
| No. | |
| Charlie Kirk was murdered. | |
| Charlie Kirk was assassinated in cold blood. | |
| He was shot down an innocent man for the only crime that he ever committed was speaking the truth. | |
| I still think of Erica. | |
| And to think of Charlie's children. | |
| And I know that if some bullet came and cut me down, that Charlie would be there for my children to be an uncle to them. | |
| So I will always be there for Charlie's children. | |
| As an uncle to them. | |
| To tell them who their father was. | |
| To tell them what he stood for. | |
| To tell them who Charlie the man was. | |
| Charlie was not a boy. | |
| Charlie started this movement. | |
| He was a boy. | |
| When he first started, he was a boy. | |
| But he went out a man. | |
| He went out with his boots on. | |
| He went out as a lion. | |
| With the courage of a lion, with more courage than all of us. | |
| When we fight, when we step up to the plate, when we put up a folding table in a park or on campus, when we set up a chair and pick up a microphone, when we go out there, when we give it all, we're doing it for Charlie. | |
| *crowd cheers* | |
| Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard. | |
| Today's edition of Human Events Daily here, live Phoenix, Arizona. | |
| Today is September 16th, 2025. | |
| Anno Domini. | |
| I'm here in the Charlie Kirk studio. | |
| I'm sitting next to my friend's chair. | |
| And we just played the video of this incredible ASU memorial service, which was held for Charlie last night. | |
| It was the first event that I've held. | |
| That turning point is done since then. | |
| I've got the freedom shirt right here. | |
| And these are just the outpouring of love for Charlie, the outpouring of support for the mission. | |
| It's it's greater than everything I've ever seen. | |
| And I'm I'm I'm rendered speechless by it. | |
| the amount of people who came last night was astonishing. | |
| I'm told 14,000 Sun Devils Arena there at ASU campus and of course, of course it was on campus. | |
| This was the same campus, by the way, where Turnpoint got started. | |
| Turning Point was born on ASU's campus, and it's only fitting that the first turning point event after the assassination would be there. | |
| Uh we have an FBI briefing that is now about to take place in Utah in the assassination of Charlie Kirk. | |
| I believe we have someone walking up to the podium. | |
| Guys, is that is that going live right now? | |
| Let's take it. | |
| Patience as we continue to get that process going completed so that we can continue and and Jeff can appear before you. | |
| Again, to answer some of your um initial questions, Jeff is the only one who's going to be speaking. | |
| He will take questions afterwards. | |
| He will go through the charges and list them. | |
| We'll be right back to questions, and we'll try to do it as orderly as we can. | |
| So we appreciate you being here, and we appreciate your patience as you go through this process with us. | |
| will be right back with you Like that was just a preview. | |
| So, okay, we're waiting for this. | |
| Uh, I've been told that there is a major update that's about to come in the charges on this case. | |
| Uh, I don't want to get ahead of the press conference. | |
| Um, just some information I received before minutes before I came on camera here today, but uh information that will lead towards the prosecution of this suspect that will lead towards the overall case in, of course, the murder and assassination of my friend of Charlie Kirk. | |
| And uh, you know, it's it's quite a thing to be in a position where you know, we do a breaking news show and we report on these stories every day, and I I wish we didn't have to report them every day, but unfortunately, that's the world we live in. | |
| And it's a little bit, I'm not even sure what the word is. | |
| It's just, it's very different when you're reporting on it on your own friend and someone that you were very, very close to, but I know that Charlie would want us to be here to continue the work, to continue the fight. | |
| I know it's exactly what he would do if that bullet came at me, if I was out somewhere, and I know that Charlie would be there making sure that everything was done to make sure that the perpetrator, anyone who aided the perpetrator, this evildoer, are all brought to justice. | |
| Anyone giving aid and comfort are brought to justice, and also the networks and the assemblage of entities and the thousands of people cheering, celebrating, | |
| rejoicing the death of my friend, that they are named, that they are publicly shamed, that they pay the social cost for what they are doing. | |
| All of them and any organization that is involved in this, that's been involved in wandering money for these types of radical domestic terrorist expressions that they pay the price as well. | |
| And it's really as simple as that. | |
| I do want to address something, and of course, we'll go back. | |
| I'm I'm looking over my shoulder to see the podium. | |
| As soon as they walk out, we're gonna cut directly to that guy's let's blow the brakes. | |
| So I don't want to miss any second of this. | |
| I know that the I know that the press conference is going to be uh imminent. | |
| Of course, we've got the shot right there. | |
| But I do want to address something that that came up from yesterday, and and and there was this you know statement or or thought that's been going around about hate speech. | |
| Um Charlie was against hate speech laws. | |
| He talked about it right here in the studio all the time. | |
| Uh it's something he and I were complete lockstep on. | |
| I think everyone on the crew, uh, certainly on Thought Crime, our Thursday show together that we talked about. | |
| In fact, the very name of the show was sort of a uh a play on that, the Orwellian phrase thought crime, because how could a thought be a crime? | |
| It is tyrannical to criminalize thoughts and to criminalize speech. | |
| This is what we were always against. | |
| And I'll just say this. | |
| Charlie Kirk wasn't killed by speech. | |
| Charlie Kirk was killed by extremists who wanted to silence his speech. | |
| That's who did this. | |
| So let's not get it twisted. | |
| Let's not get over our skis. | |
| Let's not play games. | |
| There were people who killed Charlie. | |
| There were a movement of these people, a social cancer, a social contagion, actual people. | |
| And those are the people and the adherents of this sick extreme ideology of radical Marxism mixed with the radical trans community. | |
| That's who killed Charlie. | |
| And we need to say it over and over because I keep seeing and hearing these individuals go up on media and go up in front of cameras, and they won't say the words. | |
| They just won't say the words. | |
| It kind of reminds me of, you know. | |
| When 9-11 happened, there were so many people who wouldn't say the words radical Islam. | |
| They wouldn't say it. | |
| They just wouldn't say the words radical Islam. | |
| That's who did it. | |
| It was radical Islam. | |
| Radical Islam was deeply, deeply deeply the cause. | |
| And people wouldn't say it. | |
| They want to they want to play games, they want to equivocate. | |
| No. | |
| Can't do that. | |
| We're not doing that here. | |
| Radical Marxists promoting the trans agenda did this. | |
| It's as simple as that. | |
| And how do we know? | |
| We know because they wrote it on the bullets that were used to kill Charlie Kirk. | |
| And I, I guess, was involved in a debate with one of these radicals yesterday. | |
| I actually didn't know I was going to be in that debate, and I'm sure we'll play some clips of it later. | |
| Um, or you know, they were all everyone seen them already. | |
| And they wanted to get pedantic about oh, which specific bullet was used. | |
| They were all used. | |
| And everyone promoting this stuff played a part in the pull of that trigger. | |
| It's really simple. | |
| And so we can see it. | |
| And we're done playing the games. | |
| We're done playing the gotchas. | |
| We're done with all that crap. | |
| All right, the podium's up. | |
| Let's go to it. | |
| And then he will take questions. | |
| The number of questions may be limited, however. | |
| I may I may cut it off. | |
| I may assist him in in helping to pick the people who are asking the question. | |
| We just ask that you keep the questions to the process of what we're talking about and refrain from asking questions that speculate or get into the political dynamic of the case. | |
| For Utah County, this is a murder case, and we're trying a murder case. | |
| We're trying to keep the questions to that, but I understand that you're under pressure and have a lot of different questions, and we'll try to answer them. | |
| We're joined today by our sheriff and our prosecution team and our county commissioners. | |
| Jeff is going to be the only one speaking right now. | |
| And I'll introduce right now County Attorney Jeff Gray. | |
| The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy. | |
| Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights, the bedrock of our democratic republic, the free exchange of ideas and a search for truth, understanding, and a more perfect union. | |
| It is also an offense against the state and to the peace and enjoyment of the people of Utah and of all those who visit here. | |
| But Charlie Kirk's murder also strikes a more personal and intimate cord. | |
| Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a husband and a father to two beautiful young children. | |
| He was a son, he was a brother, and a friend. | |
| Like all murders, the senseless and needless taking of Charlie Kirk's life has shattered the lives of those he loved and those who loved him. | |
| To Charlie's wife, Erica, his two young children, his parents, his family, and his friends, I express my sincere condolences and offer my heartfelt prayers on your behalf. | |
| I also want to express my concern for everyone who was at Charlie's Turning Point USA event at the University or University Utah Valley University and all who have been impacted by this tragedy. | |
| As county attorney, I am charged with bringing justice to those who offend our laws. | |
| I am charged with bringing justice for those who harm, for those who are harmed. | |
| I am charged with bringing justice for Charlie Kirk. | |
| I am committed to these aims. | |
| I take this responsibility seriously. | |
| Today, after reviewing the evidence that law enforcement has collected thus far, I am filing a criminal information charging Tyler James Robinson, age 22, with the following crimes. | |
| Count one, aggravated murder, a capital offense, for intentionally or knowingly causing the death of Charlie Kirk under circumstances that created a great risk of death to others. | |
| Count two, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, a first degree felony. | |
| The state is further alleging aggravating factors on counts one and two because the defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on Charlie Kirk's political expression, and did so knowing that children were present and would witness the homicide. | |
| The state is also charging defendant with count three obstruction of justice, a second degree felony for moving and concealing the rifle used in the shooting. | |
| Count four, obstruction of justice, a third degree, a second degree felony for disposing the clothing he wore during the shooting. | |
| Count five, witness tampering, a third degree felony for directing his roommate to delete his incriminating texts. | |
| Count six, witness tampering, a third-degree felony for directing his roommate to stay silent if police questioned him. | |
| And Count 7, commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, for committing homicide, knowing that children were present and may have seen or heard the murder and did so based on Charlie Kirk's political expression. | |
| Also, following the press conference, I am filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty. | |
| I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently As county attorney, based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime. | |
| Because we are seeking the death penalty, the defendant will continue to be held without bail in the Utah County jail. | |
| Turning to the 10-page information, these are the allegations. | |
| On September 10th, 2025, at approximately 12.23 p.m., Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to a large crowd on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orim, Utah. | |
| Police found the suspected murder weapon, a bolt action 30-6 rifle nearby. | |
| Over the next approximately 33 hours, police conducted a manhunt manhunt for the shooter until the evening of September 11th, 2025, when Tyler James Robinson surrendered to police at the Washington County Sheriff's Office. | |
| DNA consistent with Robinson was found on the rifle's trigger. | |
| After shooting Mr. Kirk, Robinson hid the gun, discarded the clothing he wore when he fired the rifle, and told his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and not talk to police. | |
| Children were present at the time of the shooting. | |
| The shooting. | |
| Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, organized a public outdoor event to be held at noon on September 10th, 2025 at UVU. | |
| The event was the first in a series of similar events to be held at college campuses nationwide. | |
| Mr. Kirk is a well-known conservative activist, famous for these types of events, where he discusses various political issues and debates with audience members. | |
| His events and comments have garnered a significant number of supporters and drawn the ire of many who disagree with his political views. | |
| The event at UVU was announced far in advance and garnered significant publicity and interest. | |
| Consequently, several hundred people attended. | |
| Mr. Kirk was interacting with a crowd before the event officially got underway. | |
| Then at approximately noon, Mr. Kirk seated himself under a portable canopy behind a table and microphone. | |
| He began speaking to the crowd and fielding questions from attendees, a format Mr. Kirk commonly used at his events. | |
| Mr. Kirk allowed his questionnaires to approach a microphone positioned directly in front of him. | |
| Mr. Kirk's team members were very close to him on his right and left, as well as some behind his canopy and others at various close locations near him. | |
| The large crowd surrendered surrounded Mr. Kirk on three sides. | |
| Temporary metal fencing separated attendees from Mr. Kirk by only a matter of feet. | |
| Directly above and behind Mr. Kirk was the UVU Hall of Flags, an indoor walkway spanning several hundred feet with floor-to-ceiling glass windows which overlook the plaza where Mr. Kirk was seated. | |
| People were in the walkway at the time of the shooting. | |
| Approximately 15 minutes into the event, Mr. Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings by transgender individuals when a gunshot rang out. | |
| The bullet struck Mr. Kirk in the neck. | |
| He slumped to the ground almost immediately. | |
| The bullet's trajectory passed closely to several other individuals beside Mr. Kirk, including the questioner who was standing directly in front of Mr. Kirk. | |
| Children were visible near Mr. Kirk's stage when he was shot. | |
| Mr. Kirk was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared deceased. | |
| The medical examiner's report is still pending. | |
| So UVU surveillance. | |
| So at the moment of the shot, a UVU police officer was watching the crowd from an elevated vantage point. | |
| As soon as he heard the shot, he began to scan the area for threats. | |
| Believing the shot came from a rifle because of its sound, he looked for potential sniper positions. | |
| He noted a roof area approximately 160 yards away from Mr. Kirk as a potential shooting position and rushed there to look for evidence. | |
| The suspected shooting position is adjacent to an open, publicly accessible walkway. | |
| To access the suspected location, a person must climb over a railing and then drop to the roof only slightly below. | |
| The UV officer climbed over the railing and down onto the roof. | |
| He then walked to the suspected shooting position and confirmed a clear shooting corridor between the position and Mr. Kirk's seat. | |
| He also noticed markings in the gravel rooftop, consistent with a sniper having lain on the roof, impressions in the gravel, potentially left by the elbows, knees, and feet of a person in a prone shooting position. | |
| Police reviewed surveillance from the camera covering the roof and discovered that it recorded an individual dressed in dark clothing cross the railing from the public walkway and drop onto the roof at approximately 12 15 p.m. | |
| Although the individual moved out of the camera's view for a short time, the camera again captured the individual running across the roof and then low crawling to the area the UBU officer recognized as where the suspected sniper had dropped into a prone shooting position. | |
| After a short time, which matches the known time of the shot, the individual arose and ran across the roof to the northeast. | |
| This discovery led to an intensive review of UVU surveillance recordings to attempt to track and identify the suspect. | |
| Surveillance revealed the following. | |
| At approximately 11 51 a.m., the suspect entered campus from the north. | |
| He is seen wearing a black shirt with an American flag in the center, a dark baseball cap and large sunglasses. | |
| Throughout the surveillance, the suspect keeps his head down and rarely raises his head enough to get a clear image of his face. | |
| As he proceeds across the campus, he is seen walking with an unusual gait. | |
| The suspect walks with very little bending in his right leg, consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants. | |
| This unusual gait continues until the suspect is seen crossing the railway off the open walkway and onto the roof where he leaves the camera's view. | |
| A camera later captures the suspect as he runs across the roof to the suspected shooting position. | |
| Immediately after the shot was fired, a camera captures the suspect running across the roof, carrying an item whose shape is consistent with a rifle. | |
| The suspect is then seen climbing down from the roof. | |
| He appears to drop the item he was carrying as he hits the ground in a controlled fall. | |
| He then picks up the item and runs toward the northeast end of campus. | |
| Expanded crime scene investigation. | |
| Law enforcement officers followed the suspect's escape path to the northeast end of campus, where they believe the suspect left campus and entered a wooded area. | |
| In that wooded area, investigators found a bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel. | |
| The rifle contained one spent round and three unspent rounds. | |
| This is consistent with the facts officers observed at the time of and immediately after the shootings. | |
| No shell casings were found on the roof, suggesting a bolt action rather than an auto loading weapon, and only a single round was fired. | |
| Each round in the rifle contained an etched inscription as follows. | |
| The fired car cartridge was etched, no Tyses bulge, OWO what's this. | |
| The second cartridge that was that was again not spent, the last three were not spent, were not fired. | |
| The second, hey fascist, catch with arrow symbols. | |
| The third cartridge, Obella Chow, Bella Chow, Bella Chow, Chow Chow. | |
| The fourth cartridge, if you read this, you are gay. | |
| L-A-O. | |
| The rifle, ammunition rounds, and towel were sent for forensic processing. | |
| DNA consistent with Robin with defendant was found on the trigger, other parts of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two of the three unfired cartridges, and the towel. | |
| Law enforcement was unable to immediately locate the shooter. | |
| So they published photos of the shooter from the UVU surveillance cameras and asked for the public's help to identify him. | |
| Meanwhile, law enforcement continued to try to identify the shooter through other means. | |
| The Washington County investigation. | |
| On the evening of September 11th, 2025, as law enforcement continued their investigation, Tyler James Robinson went to the Washington County Sheriff's Office with his parents and a family friend to turn himself in. | |
| Robinson's mother stated that the following to police. | |
| On September 11, 2025, the day after the shooting, Robinson's mother saw the photo of the shooter in the news and thought the shooter looked like her son. | |
| Robinson's mother called her son and asked him where he was. | |
| He said he was at home sick and that he had also been at home homesick on September 10th. | |
| Robinson's mother expressed concern to her husband that the suspect shooter looked like Robinson. | |
| Robinson's father agreed. | |
| Robinson's mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights oriented. | |
| She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. | |
| This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views. | |
| In one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robert Robinson said was a stupid venue for the event. | |
| Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate. | |
| Robinson's father reported that when his wife showed him the surveillance image of the suspected shooter in the news, he agreed that it looked like their son. | |
| He also believed that the rifle that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift. | |
| As a result, Robinson's father contacted his son and asked him to send a photo of the rifle. | |
| Robinson did not respond. | |
| However, Robinson's father spoke on the phone with Robinson. | |
| Robinson implied that he planned to take his own life. | |
| Robinson's parents were able to convince him to meet at their home. | |
| As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn't go to jail and just wanted to end it. | |
| When asked why he did it, Robinson explained there is too much evil, and the guy referring to Charlie Kirk spreads too much hate. | |
| They talked about Robinson turning himself in and convinced Robinson to speak with a family friend who's a retired deputy sheriff. | |
| At Robinson's father, at Robinson's father's request, the family friend met with Robinson and his parents and convinced Robinson to turn himself in. | |
| The family friend spoke to police and reported telling Robinson that it would be best if he brought all evidence with him to the sheriff's office to avoid police having to search his parents' home. | |
| The friend also asked Robinson if he had any clothes that were related to what he did. | |
| Robinson replied that he had disposed of the clothes in different areas. | |
| The roommate. | |
| Police interviewed Robinson's roommate, a biological male who was involved in a romantic relationship with Robinson. | |
| The roommate told police that the roommate received messages from Robinson about the shooting and he did provide those messages to police. | |
| On September 10th, 2025, the roommate received a text message from Robinson, which said, drop what you're doing. | |
| Look under my keyboard. | |
| The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, quote, I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it. | |
| Police found a photograph of this note. | |
| The following exchange, text exchange, then took place. | |
| After reading the note, the roommate responded, What? | |
| You're joking, right? | |
| Robinson. | |
| I am still okay, my love, but I'm stuck in Orim for a little while longer yet. | |
| Shouldn't be long until I can come home. | |
| But I gotta grab my rifle still. | |
| To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. | |
| I am sorry to involve you. | |
| Roommate, you weren't the one who did it, right? | |
| Robinson, I am, I am, I'm sorry. | |
| Roommate, I thought they caught the person. | |
| Robinson. | |
| No, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. | |
| I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. | |
| It's quiet almost enough to get out, but there's one vehicle lingering. | |
| Roommate, why? | |
| Robinson, why did I do it? | |
| Roommate, yeah. | |
| Robinson, 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. | |
| Roommate, how long have you been planning this? | |
| Robinson, a bit over a week, I believe. | |
| I can get close to it, but there is a squad car parked right by it. | |
| I think they already swept that spot, but I don't want to chance it. | |
| Robinson again. | |
| I'm wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle. | |
| I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back grandpa's rifle. | |
| ID EK, if it's had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. | |
| I worry about Prince. | |
| I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. | |
| Didn't have the ability or time to bring it with. | |
| How the F will I explain losing it to my old man? | |
| Only thing I left was the rapple was the rifle wrapped in a towel. | |
| Remember how he was engraving bullets? | |
| The F and messages are mostly a big meme. | |
| If I see notice bulge UWU on Fox New, I might have a stroke alright. | |
| I'm gonna have to leave it. | |
| That really effing sucks. | |
| Judging from today, I'd say grandpa's gun does just fine, IDK. | |
| I think that was a two K dollar scope. | |
| Wink wink. | |
| Um Robinson again, delete this exchange. | |
| Again, Robinson, my dad wants photos of the rifle. | |
| He says grandpa wants to know who has what. | |
| The feds released a photo of the rifle, and it is very unique. | |
| He's calling me, RN, not answering. | |
| Robinson, since Trump got into office, my dad has been pretty diehard MAGA. | |
| Robinson, I'm gonna turn myself in willingly. | |
| One of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff. | |
| Again, you are all I worry about, love. | |
| That came from Robinson, roommate. | |
| I'm much more worried about you. | |
| Robinson, don't talk to the media, please. | |
| Don't take any interviews or make any comments. | |
| If any police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and stay silent. | |
| The search for Robinson's residence. | |
| Police executed a search warrant on Robinson's residence. | |
| During that search, police discovered a shell casing with etchings like the etchings found on the shells in the rifle near UVU. | |
| Police also found several target boards with bullet holes in Robinson's home. | |
| Now, as I stated in the beginning when I read those allegations, these are allegations. | |
| And like the evidence set forth in this statement, those allegations, what you've heard from the media, even from state and federal officials, has not been tested in the crucible of a jury trial. | |
| I understand the public's desire to know the facts. | |
| My own family members have pressed me for information. | |
| Why are we reluctant to share the details of the investigation itself and comment on the case? | |
| Because I want to ensure a fair and impartial trial. | |
| I became a prosecutor because of my love for the ideals of this great country and the principles embedded in our constitution. | |
| The free exchange of ideas and opinions is critical to this great American experiment, but so too are the protections afforded to the accused found in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. | |
| The right against self-incrimination, the right to a speedy and public trial, the right to the effective assistance of counsel, the right to confront one's accusers, and the right to compel the attendance of witnesses. | |
| And perhaps most importantly, under our constitution, the accused is presumed innocent until we, the state, prove to an impartial jury of defendants' peers his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. | |
| That jury cannot rely on our allegations, on what they hear in the news, or on what they hear from a public official. | |
| The jury is the sole trier of fact, and they will ultimately determine those facts based on evidence a trial judge has determined is admissible. | |
| Again, as prosecutors, we bear the burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. | |
| But no, but make no mistake, we welcome this burden. | |
| My trial team who will be charged with prosecuting the case. | |
| This is a veteran and expert team of some of the state's best trial attorneys. | |
| Chad Grunander, who is uh my one of my two chief deputies. | |
| Ryan McBride and David Sturgel on the far right there. | |
| Um And those two were very much involved in preparing search warrants, did a phenomenal job, worked day and night to see that accomplished. | |
| Well after he was Robinson was taken into custody. | |
| Also, Lauren Hunt. | |
| She is one of our special victims prosecutors. | |
| And Chris Ballard, my second chief deputy who will be handling motions. | |
| I'm going to explain just the procedural steps. | |
| We're not a grand jury, we don't have a grand jury system like the federal courts do. | |
| It's it's a preliminary hearing system. | |
| So the arrest and filing of the criminal information are merely the first steps in the criminal justice process. | |
| Today at 3 p.m., the defendant will appear before a judge in the Utah Fourth District Court for his first appearance to be informed of these charges and to ensure that he has an attorney to represent him. | |
| The hearing will be brief. | |
| The judge will conduct that first appearance virtually via WebX. | |
| This is not unusual. | |
| In the fourth district, all felony first appearances for defendants who are in custody are held virtually. | |
| A link to that hearing is available for media on the Utah State Court's X account at Utah State Courts. | |
| Now, following defendant's first appearance, he will be entitled to a preliminary hearing. | |
| At that hearing, the state will be required to show probable cause that defendant committed the crimes. | |
| The purpose of the preliminary hearing is not to determine guilt, but simply to assure the court that the prosecution has enough evidence to proceed to trial. | |
| If a judge finds probable cause and binds the case over for trial, an arraignment hearing will be held. | |
| At that hearing, a judge will again inform defendant of the charges against him and require him to enter a plea to each charge. | |
| The next step, the next step following the arraignment is an opportunity for the parties to file any relevant motions and then ultimately the trial itself. | |
| This case has generated a tremendous amount of interest across our nation and even the world. | |
| The public's desire for information is desirable is understandable, but it bears reiterating that this case will be tried in a court of law consistent with our constitution, not the court of public opinion. | |
| Thus, we will only discuss the case with the press occasionally. | |
| It will not be a day-to-day or even week-to-week occurrence, but we will only do so in a manner as not to jeopardize the fair trial process. | |
| Before I conclude, I want to express my appreciation for the tireless work of our local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. | |
| They have an extremely difficult, dangerous, and often thankless job. | |
| I'm proud to acknowledge the exceptional work they do every day, and particularly their work on this case. | |
| It was truly a marvel to witness. | |
| Their skilled work and dedication have brought us to this point. | |
| I'm also grateful for the leadership demonstrated by Bo Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, FBI special agent in charge, Rob Bulls, Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith, our local police chiefs, and Felice John Viddy, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah. | |
| I'm also grateful for the support of our governor, Spencer Cox, and our attorney general, Derek Brown, who is standing behind me today, and has offered his support and resources as we proceed to trial. | |
| Finally, I want to thank our Utah County Commissioners, Amelia Powers Gardner, Brandon Gordon, and Skyler Beltran. | |
| They too have pledged to assist with the resources needed to successfully prosecute this case. | |
| I will now take a few questions. | |
| For questions, ladies and gentlemen, just really fast if you could identify yourself and would recognize evidence from CDS views. | |
| Did your investigation uncover any individuals that may have known about this shooting in advance? | |
| They are still looking into it. | |
| It's an undergoing investigation. | |
| So is that a possibility? | |
| They haven't ruled that out. | |
| Sir Ed Lavendero with CNN, the uh text message that the exchange with the roommate. | |
| Can you uh kind of give us a sense of did that happen over several hours? | |
| Did it happen before um I I don't have that information? | |
| Emily Anderson's drive to sell it for you. | |
| I know acknowledging that you made this decision to pursue the death and only independently. | |
| Did you hear it also on the Trump administration or governor coxes administration as you were working on the target? | |
| Um I talked to officials from both administrations, but I was not pressured to make a decision. | |
| I I understood their feelings on it because it was in the news, but we didn't really discuss that. | |
| Mr. Gray Gray, do you have any indication that transgender issues played a role in the motivations for this shooting? | |
| I I'm gonna stick to what the I just stated in my public uh in my in our information. | |
| I I think that is pretty much set forth there. | |
| Mr. Gray, Ben Winslow, Fox 13 News. | |
| Just asking, are you planning to file additional charges against anyone else in connection with this? | |
| Again, we don't have any information at this point of additional uh suspects, but I know that uh our our law enforcement agencies are continuing to follow leads. | |
| Mr. Gray, the FBI director today said that you are quote or that other people, a number of people are being investigated and interrogated. | |
| So it seems that there are people who might be up for possible charges. | |
| Yeah, I'm not I'm not sure if any good the suspect was a lone wolf, or could this be part of a I I can't comment on that. | |
| I'm not aware of all their investigation. | |
| I just know that uh these agencies are continuing to investigate this case and follow all leads. | |
| Can it tell me the times? | |
| Would like to know how does this possibly interface with any federal charge? | |
| Um that's up to the feds. | |
| Um they have different charges and they're reviewing the evidence, and after they review the evidence and the law, they could file charges, but I I'm not privy to exactly what they're looking at. | |
| Dennis Help with the BBC, you spoke a lot about tax messages with the roommate. | |
| The governor previously said the roommate is cooperating, but could we see charges against the roommate? | |
| Again, I'm not prepared to answer that question. | |
| Is that going to make the urgency? | |
| Is it unusual to cite a political motivation as an aggravating circumstance? | |
| It's it's part of our code. | |
| And so we charge that. | |
| And just to add to KUTV, for those that aren't of a legal mind, is this a confession in text messages? | |
| Is that legally a confession? | |
| And is he cooperating since he's been taken into custody? | |
| Ultimately, a judge will determine that at trial. | |
| And cooperation. | |
| Has he spoken at all? | |
| Has he been cooperated? | |
| Since he's heard of the question. | |
| Again, I'm not going to comment on that. | |
| I think that any statement at all. | |
| Mr. Gray Morgan has been seeing news. | |
| Okay. | |
| What more can you tell us about the suspect's time online that some say radicalized it? | |
| I am not aware of that information. | |
| It's again still under investigation. | |
| And has he expressed any remorse so far about this? | |
| I I am not going to comment on that. | |
| Is he continuing to not cooperate? | |
| I am not going to comment on that. | |
| Mr. Gray, the FBI director has been way out of the bug in terms of presenting evidence to the public. | |
| Your team has been very circumspect, very measured in what they let out. | |
| Is that a hamper to investigation under Google 2? | |
| Well, as attorneys, we typically like to control that information to preserve an impartial uh jury and a fair trial. | |
| That's the refation. | |
| Excuse me. | |
| Uh I don't have that information. | |
| Can you tell us more about what the family may have said in interviews? | |
| Um what the family said is is what I uh provided. | |
| Do you guys just uh do you anticipate that the defense will try to get this trial moved out of Utah County? | |
| And how will you respond to that? | |
| That from where? | |
| From Utah County. | |
| That the defense will be from Utah County? | |
| Uh I I couldn't predict what they're gonna do. | |
| Is there any evidence suggests that the timing of the shot and the question that was asked about massive transgender? | |
| Is that holding coincidence? | |
| Um that will be for a jury to decide. | |
| Mr. Gray, are you confident that the roommate had no part of this attack whatsoever? | |
| Again, I'm not going to comment on the evidence. | |
| But the evidence so far, does it show any involvement? | |
| Again, I'm not going to comment on other than the facts that I or the evidence that we've gathered so far. | |
| Uh here in the press conference, John Fadis' right to a parent trial. | |
| Uh I don't believe so. | |
| This is part of a public document that we have to file as we file a criminal information. | |
| We have to file a probable cause statement. | |
| That's a public doc document, and so we're comfortable with that. | |
| Are his parents in the roommates still cooperate? | |
| I'm not going to comment on that either. | |
| What else can you share about that? | |
| I can't share any more than what I've already said. | |
| This was an incredibly precise shot. | |
| Do you have any evidence that he went places to practice or have to practice in the minutes before he was shooting? | |
| Maybe that's giving an insight to help prepare. | |
| Um the evidence that I'm willing to share is what I just read in our statement. | |
| It's in the info. | |
| Okay. | |
| Did you consult Eric DeKr about CP the death penalty? | |
| Um, I'm not going to comment on that. | |
| Thank you ladies and gentlemen. | |
| All right, Jack Pasobic, we're back. | |
| Live human events, daily first reactions. | |
| Um death penalty. | |
| Death penalty is being sought. | |
| Um it's obviously appropriate here because of the heinousness of this act. | |
| And you heard that from the prosecutor. | |
| I love this prosecutor, by the way. | |
| I thought this guy was incredible. | |
| Um, I'm also joined now in studio by Blake Neff, who's not an not only an expert on all of this, but Blake, you were about 10 feet away when all of this happened. | |
| Blake, do you believe that the death penalty is appropriate in this case? | |
| I really I really do. | |
| Uh you know, Charlie and I would discuss, you know, that issue, what it would be merited for if it was merited for anything. | |
| But what I think is especially important is this is you know, we always heard that uh that line from people like, oh, this is an attack on our democracy, and they would use that to describe any number of things. | |
| But if you want to be real, like the realest possible attack on our democracy or whatever you our republic you want to have is actual like civil violence, like violence for political ends in public, like that. | |
| And you have a person who, because Charlie Kirk advocated a worldview, a way of life, a set of policies, whatever you want, that he went out and he advocated for something that he disagreed with. | |
| So he took a rifle, he went upon a building, he scoped out what he wanted to do, how to do it, waited for Charlie to show up there, and he shot him dead. | |
| And something like that is a cancer that needs to be ripped out of the body politic. | |
| It's not a homicide you mildly. | |
| Well, that's that's what I was gonna ask. | |
| So can you so how do you differentiate? | |
| Because obviously we have homicide statutes, but this is quite literally something very different. | |
| Because you know, I saw of course people were saying, oh, it's you know, he was just some 31-year-old podcaster, you know, we don't we don't stop the whole world for when when somebody dies, but it is different, isn't it? | |
| It's it's also like it's an act of actual terrorism. | |
| Yes. | |
| It is an act of terrorism. | |
| It is that this person went out, said something we disagreed with, advocated for something we disagree with, so we will kill him to send the message that you could be killed too if you do the same thing. | |
| Which is what is an act of material. | |
| By the way, Destiny said to me yesterday. | |
| Yeah, the original terrorism was at the least he said on his show yesterday to describe Is killing these people to instill terror in our enemies. | |
| And that is, again, it's it is a cancer that you must amputate from society. | |
| And the only way you do that is you go and you don't merely shunt this person off to a prison where they can get visitors, where they can write letters, where they can radicalize others. | |
| Yeah, where they can radicalize others where they can become some sort of icon. | |
| No, you have to say it is unacceptable that this person remain alive within our body politic. | |
| And and specifically, I heard the prosecutor again and again mention the fact that not only were children present, but that the killer knew that children would be present, and because they had to witness it themselves, that that is in itself an aggregate an aggravating factor, which warrants the death penalty. | |
| Yeah, uh I like that. | |
| I like that they're clearly taking this seriously. | |
| I really like this because there's so much really like what he did here. | |
| There's so many opportunities to fly off half-cocked. | |
| You're not, you know, they come up with an idea that sounds really cool. | |
| They clearly had an introduction. | |
| But they were like, no, they had a whole team of people. | |
| Look at this statute. | |
| We were hearing about this, you know, and uh I was we were talking to them with concern, like, okay, are we also making sure we investigate others who might have known about this? | |
| And a line we were hearing was they're making sure they can charge this guy. | |
| And I thought that was the kind of I I'm rolling my eyes at that a little bit, but we also come to understand that here. | |
| They were making sure we're not going to just charge this person with murder. | |
| We are going to make sure we have multiple avenues for aggravated murder. | |
| So we're hearing it over and over again. | |
| This was done at a public event. | |
| There were children present at it. | |
| There were people near Charlie when he was shot. | |
| So they're trying to do that. | |
| Yep. | |
| Yes, indeed. | |
| They're trying to include all these different ways that if you look at the Utah statute for aggravated murder, it includes risk of killing other people besides the victim and the attacker. | |
| Correct. | |
| Uh, which by the way, that's why he had the other round. | |
| Uh, you know, law enforcement involvement. | |
| There's all these different factors, and they were repeatedly hitting like uh three or four of them. | |
| They were also throwing in all of the obstruction stuff. | |
| And I think all those additional penal uh charges besides the murder are going to be important because that's how you'll get additional potential accomplices. | |
| Like, you know, maybe you didn't collaborate in the murder itself, but you collaborated in covering up the murder. | |
| You knew about this conspiracy, you did not report it to the police. | |
| Uh that's all going to be important. | |
| And we're the help. | |
| That in itself knowing about a crime and not reporting it is a gray area to be clear. | |
| And so culpability is a very um, you know, very specific legal question. | |
| And so I I'm just saying I don't want to say anything about anyone who's involved in this until we know for sure. | |
| That's all I'm saying. | |
| And and so that has to be very carefully investigated. | |
| We are coming up on a on a break here. | |
| So I'm I'm just gonna say that, and we are gonna extend, and I want to say thank you to Real Mark's voice um for allowing us to do this because I mean we just we have to respond to uh what what happened here to the man who sits in this chair and the charges that have now been brought in his killing. | |
| And this is right. | |
| This killer deserves the death penalty, and I'm gonna say something else too. | |
| No plea deals. | |
| No plea deals. | |
| I don't want to see anyone from the governor's office, the attorney general, whoever it is coming in and saying, you know what, maybe do a plea deal and we take it off the table. | |
| No, no, you take this to trial, you put this in front of a jury, and justice will be done. | |
| Simple as that. | |
| There's no off-ramp here. | |
| Because you know what else? | |
| You know who didn't get an off-ramp? | |
| Charlie Kirk. | |
| Charlie Kirk didn't get an option to have an off-ramp. | |
| Charlie Kirk didn't get a question. | |
| Charlie Kirk didn't get to go up and plead his case. | |
| No, he got none of that. | |
| So we're not going to provide that to this killer. | |
| Put him on trial. |