A crucial court hearing got underway on Monday to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to warrant a murder trial for the alleged assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Utah prosecutors said they have a mountain of evidence against the suspect, 23-year-old Tyler James Robinson, and plan to seek the death penalty.

The state began presenting its evidence on Monday at a preliminary hearing in the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah. The hearing is expected to last up to five days.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, are attending the hearing, marking the first time they have seen Robinson in person. President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., who was a friend of Charlie Kirk, was also seated in the courtroom gallery.

The Kirk family released a statement Monday morning, saying, “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 family 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 family said it will not be commenting further on the case: “We ask for continued privacy as we navigate this process and immense grief.”

District Judge Tony Graf, who is presiding over the hearing, will weigh the evidence presented by prosecutors and decide if there is enough to hold Robinson over for trial and whether prosecutors can proceed in seeking the death penalty.

At the start of the hearing, Chief Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Gruander informed Graf that the state plans to call four witnesses on Monday, all law enforcement officers, and present 40 to 50 exhibits, some he warned are graphic in nature.

Prosecutors need only to demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to warrant a trial for Robinson. If Graf orders Robinson to proceed to trial, prosecutors must then prove beyond a reasonable doubt at a trial that the defendant is guilty of killing the 31-year-old Kirk.

Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

Robinson has yet to enter a plea to the charges, and his attorneys have not issued any statements on his guilt or innocence.

The fatal shooting of Kirk, who was the founder of the conservative youth movement Turning Point USA and a strong ally of President Donald Trump, occurred in September 2025 at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

On Sept. 10, 2025, Kirk was holding the first stop of his “The American Comeback Tour,” which invited students on college campuses to debate hot-button issues. He was at an amphitheater on the campus of Utah Valley University taking a question about gun violence in America when a single shot rang out from a distance away, hitting him in the left side of his neck.

Kirk’s security team immediately carried him to a vehicle and rushed him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police investigators have said the shot that killed Kirk was fired from the rooftop of a building about 200 feet from where Kirk was speaking.

Robinson allegedly fled the scene on foot, prompting a massive manhunt. He surrendered to authorities on the night of Sept. 11, 2025, after his father contacted law enforcement officials and told them he recognized his son in photographs of the suspect released by authorities, officials said.

According to court documents, Robinson allegedly confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

On the day of the shooting, Robinson allegedly sent his boyfriend a text message that said, “Drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said at a news conference following Robinson’s arrest.

Robinson’s boyfriend told police that he found a handwritten letter under the keyboard, according to Gray, who said the note read in part, “If you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry. I left the house this morning on a mission, and set an auto text.”

Gray said Robinson allegedly sent another message to his boyfriend, writing of Kirk, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”