Charlie Kirk murder suspect Tyler Robinson is seen LAUGHING in court just a few feet away from sobbing widow Erika

Tyler Robinson, accused of Charlie Kirk’s killer, was seen laughing in court as the conservative star’s widow, Erika, cried just feet away.

Dressed in all black, Erika Kirk appeared before a judge in Utah for the first time on Monday morning for a five-day preliminary hearing with her husband’s alleged killer.

According to the Daily Mail’s reporter in the courtroom, she broke down in tears before the hearing began.

He was accompanied by his rarely seen in-laws, Robert and Kathryn Kirk.

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Anderson Trump, arrived and sat in the front row to support the crying widow.

But Robinson is said to have laughed with his lawyer, Kathy Nester, ahead of the hearing that will determine whether he should be tried for Kirk’s murder. It’s unclear what caused his cheerful expression.

The 23-year-old man is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk, who was shot and killed while addressing a crowd of thousands during the Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10.

The suspected killer surrendered after the shooting, and prosecutors allege he also sent a text message confession to his transgender partner.

He has not entered a plea in the case, and attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. The defense requested that the death penalty be taken off the table.

Tyler Robinson is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk, who was shot and killed while addressing a crowd of thousands during the Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Kirk’s parents and widow left the courtroom shortly after Utah Valley University police Officer Chris Bagley began testifying about the moments when the Turning Point USA founder was shot.

Bagley, the prosecution’s first witness, said he could see the right side of Kirk’s body as they spoke on the university campus on September 10 last year.

Kirk was about to answer a question when the officer heard a gunshot. Police saw people fleeing the area before confirming by radio that a suspect was in custody.

“I saw him move to the left… I couldn’t see the right side of his body anymore,” Bagley told the court. ‘Then everyone got up and started running, it was more of a chaos situation.’

He then began to assess the crowd’s injuries while trying to ‘protect the scene of the crime’.

Following the shooting, Bagley went to the top of a nearby building and saw an irregularity in the gravel that resembled a ‘sniper field’; Here someone may be lying in a position that would allow him to fire a weapon.

The officer told the court there was a clear ‘line of sight’ from where Kirk was sitting to the top of the Losee Centre, where Robinson allegedly fired his rifle.

While the statement was being given, Erika leaned her head on a friend to comfort herself. He wiped his tears with a tissue.

Robinson, with his attorney Kathy Nester, listens to evidence presented at a pretrial hearing Monday morning

Erika was seen arriving at the Fourth District Courthouse accompanied by Charlie’s parents, Kathryn and Robert Kirk.

Holding a pocket-sized pack of tissues in her hand, Kathryn Kirk listened to the testimony with her head bowed and her eyes closed.

Robinson looked at the exhibits on the monitor and took notes.

During his cross-examination of Bagley, Nester questioned him about the report he wrote after the shooting, including his observation that he found an empty gun holster on the ground after the crowd fled.

Bagley acknowledged that he never had custody of the holster and did not know if his fingerprints were on it.

He asked Bagley if officers attended a meeting the day of the shooting to discuss how to keep people safe. The officer said he didn’t do it.

Bagley said six officers were working that day. Thousands of people attended the event.

Bagley said metal detectors were not used to scan the crowd and no drones were used for security.

He also said there was no law enforcement on the roof, stairs or walkway when he arrived at work that day.

Kirk’s widow and parents left the courtroom shortly after Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley, pictured, began testifying about the moment the activist was shot.

The Kirks plan to attend Robinson’s weeklong pretrial hearing.

Ahead of the hearing, the family released a statement saying his death had ‘irreversibly affected our lives’.

“Each court proceeding is a painful reminder of his death and the loss that irrevocably affected our lives and the lives of his children,” Erika said in a statement shared on X.

This week’s hearing marks the most significant evidence presented so far in Robinson’s case.

After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must decide whether the case should proceed.

The judge had previously rejected a defense request to vacate the death penalty after he belittled a prosecutor.

In Utah, the death penalty is only an option if there are aggravating circumstances for the crime.

Prosecutors will argue in Robinson’s case that Kirk’s shooting endangered others involved in the incident.

Charlie Kirk speaks to the crowd during the Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, before he was shot and killed

Erika and Charlie Kirk with their two children

This week’s hearing resembles a mini-trial, but prosecutors only need to show that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk.

The standard is lower than at trials, where prosecutors must prove guilt ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’.

Prosecutors may use secondhand information or hearsay to help present their case. They expect to present between 40 and 50 exhibits at this week’s hearing.

Utah County Deputy District Attorney Chad Grunander told the judge that the state’s exhibits will include various videos of the Sept. 10 shooting.

Prosecutors said they also plan to present DNA evidence, autopsy findings and witness statements linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon.

Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, is not expected to testify in person during the trial.

However, Twiggs will give a pre-recorded statement at the hearing.

Twiggs, 22, who is transgender and goes by the name ‘Luna’, was living with Robinson at the time of the alleged murder.

After Robinson surrendered to authorities, federal investigators learned that he sent Twiggs a series of text messages during the 33 hours he was on the run, describing his alleged involvement in the shooting and his efforts to evade capture.

Erika broke down in tears as she publicly forgave her husband’s killer at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on September 21 last year

In addition to the alleged confession note, Robinson sent a text message to his roommate saying he targeted Kirk because he was “tired of his hatred,” prosecutors said.

Twiggs was never charged with or involved in the shooting; instead, he cooperated with authorities.

Before his death, Kirk and the organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, mobilized conservative youth votes to help President Donald Trump win a second term.

The Republican chairman said he hoped Robinson would receive the death penalty.

Erika Kirk said at her husband’s memorial that she forgave Robinson.

‘[Charlie] At the memorial service, Erika said she wanted to save young people like the one who took her life, prompting a standing ovation and roars from the crowd of more than 60,000 people.

‘I forgive that man, that young man,’ he added, bursting into tears.