Tyler Robinson judge refuses to consider footage of Charlie Kirk murder suspect fleeing scene after prosecutors edited it

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:41, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 13:47, 7 July 2026 The judge overseeing Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearings refused to consider footage put forward by prosecutors because it had been edited.  Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf rejected the compilation footage presented by the prosecution on Monday, which were intended to form a key part of the state's evidence against Robinson, 23, the accused killer of activist Charlie Kirk.  The hearings are being held to determine if Robinson will stand trial for Kirk's murder at Utah Valley University in September 2025, with the judge saying he felt 'concerned' by the footage put forward by prosecutors.  The video was a compilation of surveillance footage allegedly showing Robinson visiting the UVU campus four times before the shooting, which prosecutors had altered by zooming in at places and drawing circles around certain items.  The judge said he was 'concerned' that the video had been edited, saying that an exhibit that has been altered 'can become problematic' after it is presented to a jury.  Graf pointed out that the prosecution was not calling on whoever made the edits to testify about the footage, and said even he did not know 'when they were made, how they were made, how much was done to manipulate the video.' Prosecutors countered that the footage was 'accurate', and said edits 'were only added to make it easer to view.'  The state said it was not in possession of the raw footage, but intended to obtain it to present at a later hearing while also calling on investigators who had viewed the unedited video evidence. Judge Graf could later decide to admit that unedited footage as evidence.  Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf threw out footage put forward by prosecutors in the pretrial hearings of Charlie Kirk's accused assassin Tyler Robinson, after finding the surveillance video had been edited  Hearings are being held this week to determine if Robinson, seen in court on Monday, will stand trial for the muder of Kirk in September 2025  Charlie Kirk speaks to a crowd during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, moments before he was shot dead The rejection of the surveillance footage came at the opening of a week of preliminary hearings held in Provo, Utah to determine if Robinson will stand trial.  Prosecutors have said they intend to present a raft of evidence allegedly tying Robinson to the assassination, including DNA linking him to the suspected murder weapon, autopsy findings and witness statements. Robinson has remained in custody since he was arrested in the days after Kirk was shot dead in front of thousands of people at the campus, where the activist was holding a Turning Point USA debate.  At the opening day on Monday, Kirk's widow Erika attended in person to confront the alleged assassin for the first time, with Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife Bettina Anderson Trump showing support.  Erika Kirk left the courtroom before the judge played audio of the moment her husband was shot in the neck at the UVU campus.  Charlie Kirk's parents Kathryn and Robert attended Monday's hearing, as did Tyler Robinson's parents Matt and Amber Robinson.  Graf was seen flinching and appearing uncomfortable as he watched previously unseen footage of Kirk's killing.  The courtroom remained silent as Graf watched the footage, which only the judge viewed himself and hid from the courtroom to preserve the Kirk family's 'respect and dignity.'  Robinson has not entered a plea in the case and attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. The defense has sought to get the death penalty taken off the table Erika and Charlie Kirk with their two children Ahead of the hearing, Kirk's family - including his parents Robert and Kathryn, sister Mary and widow Erika - released a statement thanking his fans for supporting them through the harrowing case.  'Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and father. Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children,' the statement said.  'We remain deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and kindness we have received. This outpouring has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives.' The hearing also saw Robinson reportedly caught laughing with his attorney Kathy Nester. It is unclear what prompted this.  The 23-year-old is charged with aggravated murder in the September 10 assassination of Kirk, and prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.  He has not entered a plea in the case and attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence.  Kirk's parents and his widow all left the courtroom shortly after Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley began testifying about the moments 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 he spoke on the college campus on September 10 last year. Kirk's widow and parents all left the courtroom shortly after Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley, pictured, began testifying about the moments the activist was shot Kirk was in the middle of answering a question when the officer heard a gunshot ring out. He saw people fleeing the area before police confirmed that they had had a suspect in custody over the radio. 'I saw him go to the left ... I could no longer see the right side of his body,' Bagley told the court. 'Then everybody started getting up and started to run, more of a chaos situation.' He then began assessing the crowd for injuries as he worked to 'preserve the crime scene.' After the shooting, Bagley went to the top of a nearby building where he saw a disturbance in the gravel that looked like a 'sniper pad', where someone might have been laying in a position that would allow them to shoot a weapon. The officer told the court that there was a clear 'line of sight' from where Kirk was sat to the top of the Losee Center, where Robinson allegedly fired his rifle. Nester, during her cross-examination of Bagley, questioned him about the report he wrote after the shooting, including his observation about finding an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled. Bagley acknowledged that he never took custody of the holster and doesn't know if it was ever fingerprinted.