Donald Trump Jr. emerged from a Utah courtroom convinced that the evidence against Charlie Kirk’s accused killer leaves little room for doubt.
Trump Jr. watched the Provo hearing in person as prosecutors laid out unsealed evidence against Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old accused of fatally shooting the Turning Point USA founder at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
By the time he appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Trump Jr., who was Kirk’s friend, said the evidence had answered the question that had fueled online speculation.
“Based on everything that I saw in that courtroom, it’s very clear to me that Tyler Robinson did this,” he told Watters.
Robinson, who is charged with assassinating Kirk at an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University in Orem, could face the death penalty if convicted.
His preliminary hearing began Monday as prosecutors worked to establish probable cause for the case to move toward trial.
Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis gave prosecutors their clearest courtroom roadmap Thursday when he read from alleged texts between Robinson and his roommate, Lance Twiggs.
🚨 BREAKING: High-quality surveillance video has just been shown in court showing Tyler Robinson TAKING THE SHOT at Charlie Kirk
Robinson is SCREWED.
He’s now on his way back to his cage, via a HEAVILY armed escort.
Press were not allowed to stream the video. Only those in the… pic.twitter.com/39JLfqin3g
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 10, 2026
The exchange began with an instruction to look under a keyboard and quickly moved into what prosecutors portrayed as an admission.
“Stop what you’re doing. Look under the keyboard,” Robinson wrote.
🚨 Surveillance video shows Tyler Robinson was on campus MULTIPLE times — including his vehicle — prior to killing Charlie Kirk.
Despite this clear evidence, some are still insisting he “never stepped foot” there.
The evidence is undeniable. The denial is deliberate. Stop… pic.twitter.com/cwwACi9I7G
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) July 7, 2026
Robinson then allegedly told Twiggs he was stuck in Orem and needed to retrieve a rifle.
“I’m still okay, my love, but I’m stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but gotta grab my rifle,” he sent. “Still, to be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.”
Twiggs asked the question at the center of the hearing. “You weren’t the one who did it, right?” With Robinson replying, “I am. I’m sorry.”
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The alleged messages then moved from confession to cleanup. Davis testified that Robinson wrote about police detaining others, the lockdown around town and his hope of recovering the rifle from a drop point.
When Twiggs asked why he carried out the shooting, prosecutors presented a message tying the alleged motive to Kirk himself.
“I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson answered. “Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I’m able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again. Hopefully they have moved on.”
Robinson allegedly said the shooting had been planned for “a bit over a week” and worried that a squad car was parked near the rifle.
💥NEW: Megyn Kelly: "To those who still have their doubts about Tyler Robinson, I say it’s time to PUT UP OR SHUT UP. Either you have evidence that you can introduce … or you don't! And if you don’t, I don’t wanna keep talking about your theory — because it’s irrelevant!" pic.twitter.com/0ca6UhMPV5
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) July 9, 2026
Davis also read a message in which Robinson allegedly explained why the weapon had been left behind.
“I worry about prints. I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits, didn’t have the ability or time to bring it with,” the message said.
Other alleged messages referenced the rifle, Robinson’s grandfather and bullets that had been engraved before the shooting.
“I’ll bet that K-9 sniffed it out. We replace it? Unlikely. I don’t fully know what the gun was because it was old as s— and Gramps did some modifying,” he wrote.
“Remember how I was engraving bullets? The f—— messages are mostly a big meme. If I see notices… on Fox News, I might have a stroke.”
The exchange ended with instructions to erase the conversation, plans to surrender and a warning for Twiggs if police questioned him.
“I’m going to turn myself in willingly. One of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff. We hope to keep things sort of quiet here,” Robinson instructed.
“If any police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and stay silent. My lawyer should be Doug Terry. I’ll see if he can reach out to you and make sure the police follow.”
For Trump Jr., the texts and other evidence answered much of the speculation that had surrounded Kirk’s killing.
“This stuff is very cut-and-dry at this point,” Trump Jr. commented.
“The DNA evidence, the fact that… he turned himself in… to me, it puts so much of this at rest,” he added.
Trump Jr. said his remaining concern was not whether Robinson was responsible, but why Kirk’s event had such a limited police presence.
“The biggest question in my mind at this point is not whether Tyler Robinson did this, or if it was some people from a foreign land, or another planet — it was, why were there only six police officers active at a major event on a university campus?” he questioned.
Trump Jr. said TPUSA campus events usually draw thousands of people and should have had far more law enforcement on hand.
“These are big events,” he remarked. “I’ve done 100 of them with Charlie Kirk on college campuses all over the place… That there wasn’t an all-hands-on-deck kind of operation to prevent this very thing from happening is truly scary.”
Jurors on Friday were shown enhanced surveillance video from a rooftop vantage point as prosecutors called forensic biologist Caitlin Oliver to testify about her analysis of the firearm and ammunition tied to the case. Investigators say the rounds contained inscriptions directed at Kirk, one of which read, “Hey fascist! Catch!”
Kirk’s mother and his widow, Erika Kirk, were seen crying as the surveillance footage played in court.
The Kirk family later described the preliminary hearing as a step toward justice after days of painful testimony.
“The conclusion of the preliminary hearing marks an important step forward in the pursuit of justice for Charlie. Our family is grateful for the prayers, support, and kindness that has been extended to us, especially through these unimaginably painful and emotionally demanding proceedings.”
Judge Tony Graf gave attorneys until Sept. 1 to submit additional arguments before deciding whether prosecutors had presented enough evidence to send Robinson to trial, though it was unclear whether he would rule that day.
Former White House press secretary and attorney Kayleigh McEnany blasted the delay as “mind-blowing,” arguing the Kirk family was being denied the speedy justice promised under Utah law.
“There’s ballistic evidence, there’s DNA evidence, there’s the roommate saying he confessed,” she said.