Defense lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the man who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, said that the bullet found during the autopsy does not match the alleged murder weapon found at the scene. They are asking for a delay of a preliminary hearing scheduled in May. The FBI is reportedly running additional tests.
Lawyers for the man who allegedly killed Charlie Kirk say there is no bullet match
As USA Today reported, the summary report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “indicates that the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson,” Robinson’s attorneys said in a recent court filing.
“Although the State has not indicated an intent to produce this report at the preliminary hearing, the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence,” the filing also stated.
Attorneys added that the FBI is currently conducting another comparative bullet analysis and a bullet lead analysis. They requested Judge Tony Graf to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May in order to review additional evidence.
Attorneys said they need at least an extra 60 days to review documents since there’s a hard drive with over 600,000 files on it, as well as another 20,000 files they already have in their possession.
“The defense team has devoted, and will continue to devote, significant resources to processing discovery, including identifying materials not yet received to inform readiness for the preliminary hearing,” according to the court filing, per USA Today. “However, the defense team is realistic and the comprehensive review required to determine what is missing will take hundreds of hours.”
Tyler Robinson was charged with aggravated murder after the 2025 shooting of Charlie Kirk
Robinson is being charged with aggravated murder and other felonies, but he has not entered a plea, according to the Associated Press.
Kirk was fatally shot on September 10 while he was giving a speech at Utah Valley University. Law enforcement recovered a Mauser 98, a type of hunting rifle, near the scene. It had one spent cartridge in the chamber and three unfired bullets featuring meme-influenced messages, according to USA Today.
Prosecutors reportedly intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson. They said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the rifle trigger, as well as the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges. Prosecutors also said that Robinson sent a text, writing that he targeted Kirk because he had “had enough of his hatred.”
Robinson’s attorneys said that forensic reports indicate several people’s DNA was found on the items and added that it requires additional analysis.
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