A federal judge has rejected a request from the family of an accused shooter to display all exhibits in the high-profile case involving the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university campus event.
Judge Tony Graf Jr. made the ruling Wednesday during preliminary hearings in Provo as prosecutors presented evidence against Tyler Robinson, who faces charges related to the September 2025 shooting at Utah Valley University. The decision followed the family’s bid to access materials, including what prosecutors describe as a confession statement from Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s romantic partner.
DNA Evidence Presented
A Utah state investigator testified that DNA belonging to Twiggs was recovered from critical items collected at the shooting scene on September 10. Jennifer Faumina, a sergeant with the Utah Department of Public Safety assigned to the State Bureau of Investigation, presented DNA analysis results from the witness stand.
Faumina identified male DNA from Twiggs on two significant pieces of evidence: a screwdriver recovered from a rooftop and a towel wrapped around the rifle prosecutors say Robinson used to fatally shoot Kirk. “Male DNA was obtained from item 7-1. Item 7-1 was interpreted as originating from two individuals, one of whom is Twiggs,” Faumina testified.
Appeals and Procedural Rulings
The Utah Supreme Court last week declined to hear the defense’s appeal of two pretrial rulings by Judge Graf, clearing the way for the preliminary hearing to proceed as scheduled. The defense had challenged the judge’s decisions allowing cameras in the courtroom and permitting certain hearsay evidence during the proceeding.
“The petition for permission to appeal from an interlocutory order is denied,” the state’s highest court stated in its ruling. The defense had also requested that Graf postpone the preliminary hearing pending the appeal, but that motion was rejected.
Media Coverage and Courtroom Access
The question of allowing media cameras in the courtroom has surfaced repeatedly throughout pretrial proceedings. Graf determined that requests for electronic media coverage would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis rather than through a blanket policy after defense attorneys first sought appellate review of his rulings in May.
News organizations must submit camera requests at least 14 days before any scheduled proceeding, while either party may ask the court to restrict or prohibit such coverage. The judge granted only one of the defense’s motions to restrict media access, ruling that a media outlet that submitted its request one day late would not be permitted to take still photographs during the hearing’s opening day.
This story has been updated. CNN’s reporting team contributed to this report.
