PROVO, Utah (AP) 鈥� Prosecutors played a video clip in court Wednesday of suspect Tyler Robinson after he had to Utah authorities a day after the shooting of conservative activist .
The video showed Robinson standing in a room at the Washington County Sheriff鈥檚 Office wearing a T-shirt and baseball cap. There was no audio and it was unclear if he was interviewed by investigators while at the sheriff鈥檚 office.
State District Judge Tony Graf will decide at the conclusion of this week鈥檚 hearing if prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial on an aggravated murder charge in Kirk’s fatal shooting on the campus of Utah Valley University in September.
Robinson鈥檚 roommate, Lance Twiggs, was interviewed twice as part of the investigation, State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis testified Wednesday. Two FBI agents were there for the first interview on Sept. 12 and he was one of several law enforcement agents and prosecutors at the second interview on April 20, Davis said.
Prosecutors allege Robinson sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he 鈥渉ad enough of his hatred.鈥�
On Tuesday, Robinson’s lawyers questioned the reliability of DNA testing used to link the defendant to the suspected murder weapon.
A member of Tyler Robinson鈥檚 defense team from the FBI about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to a towel wrapped around a rifle found at the college campus, where while speaking to a large crowd.
Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst鈥檚 conclusions.
鈥淪he can鈥檛 match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,鈥� Burt argued.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. They have, however, sought to get the taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.
Prosecutors must show they have enough evidence for a trial
Forensics expert Lawrence Quarino said law enforcement agencies use 鈥渆xtremely reliable鈥� tests to determine the probability that a person matches with DNA found at a crime scene.
DNA testing 鈥渋s the gold standard in forensic science,鈥� said Quarino, a professor and director of the forensic science program at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania.
FBI analyst Amanda Bakker said that after Twiggs provided a DNA sample for comparison, she was able to rerun her tests and attribute all of the DNA to two people.
Investigators found the towel and suspected murder weapon 鈥� a bolt-action rifle with one spent round 鈥� in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot.
matched to two people, Jennifer Faumuina with the State Bureau of Investigation testified. One was Robinson鈥檚 roommate and the other was very likely Robinson, she said. Twiggs, a key figure in the prosecution鈥檚 case, will not testify in person this week, but prosecutors have said they plan to introduce a recorded statement.
Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for Twiggs, who was also his romantic partner, that read: 鈥淚 had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I鈥檓 going to take it.鈥�
Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once through the neck as the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.
The defense team pushes back
Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk鈥檚 campus event 鈥� an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on the prosecution鈥檚 claim that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.
During one of several appearances on campus on Sept. 10, the defendant went to the amphitheater where Kirk was later shot, State Bureau of Investigation Agent David Hull testified Tuesday. Hull said Robinson made contact with representatives of Turning Point USA, a group co-founded by Kirk that to help Trump win a second term.
The investigator did not detail what occurred during that interaction or if members of Kirk鈥檚 security team were present.
Robinson鈥檚 defense team pushed back Tuesday on the idea that he was hostile to Kirk鈥檚 politics. Defense attorney Richard Novak sought to block prosecutors from introducing a statement describing the traditional Christian values of Turning Point USA.
鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 say anything about Mr. Robinson鈥檚 state of mind,鈥� Novak said about the statement from Turning Point USA board member David Engelhardt. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that this court should be deciding 鈥� based on the record before it 鈥� where, if at all, politics and religion intersect.鈥�
The judge ruled that the Turning Point statement was relevant and would be 鈥減rovisionally admitted,鈥� with a final decision later on.
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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
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