Robinson is scheduled to return to court on April 17 for a hearing on a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom, according to the reporting.
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Lawyers for Tyler Robinson, the man charged in the Sept. 10 shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah, have asked to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May. In filings, Robinson’s defense said it needs more time to review a large amount of discovery and pointed to a forensic ballistics analysis that the defense said cannot conclusively link a recovered bullet fragment to the rifle found near the scene, according to the case reporting.
Robinson’s defense team said the matter turns in part on a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives analysis, a federal law enforcement ballistics review that they argued falls short of proving the connection between the fragment and the gun used in the shooting. The defense said the analysis results have been kept private but that snippets cited in other public filings describe the findings as inconclusive.
Court documents described how ballistics comparisons can depend on the condition and size of bullet fragments. The court-referenced reporting said experts look for unique, microscopic markings left on a bullet as it travels through a gun’s barrel, comparing those markings much as they would “fingerprints,” because firearms leave different patterns.
The defense said it may seek to use the ballistics material to address whether prosecutors can establish sufficient evidence during the preliminary stage, while prosecutors are aiming to show they have enough evidence to proceed. Prosecutors, as described in the reporting, plan to pursue the case toward trial and are seeking the death penalty.
Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder, and he has not yet entered a plea, according to the reporting. Prosecutors have said DNA consistent with Robinson was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, and two unfired cartridges.
The defense responded to that account by pointing to forensic reports they say indicate multiple people’s DNA was found on some of the items, a contention that the defense said requires more complex analysis. Robinson’s case has also included allegations described by prosecutors about his communications, with prosecutors saying he texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” the reporting said.
The next scheduled step in the case comes after the preliminary hearing request. Robinson is due back in court April 17 for a hearing on a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom, according to the reporting.
The requested postponement would give the defense additional time to review what it described as a large volume of material, including the ballistics work and follow-on testing described in court documents. The court-referenced reporting said the FBI is running additional tests, and it said the defense relies on that development alongside the ATF analysis in pressing for more time before the May preliminary hearing.