Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Charlie Kirk's Accused Killer Laughs in Court

Episode Date: December 11, 2025

Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, appeared in court for the first time Thursday, December 11. Robinson was wearing civilian clothes as his family appeared in court to support him. Before court began, Robinson adjusted his tie and smiled and laughed as he spoke with his attorneys. Lawyers representing the media are asking for access to a transcript for an October hearing where courthouse security was discussed. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through the hearing in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:Use code CRIMEFIX at https://jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchase! These sell out fast so get them while they last! #JonesRoadBeauty #adHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Producer:Jordan ChaconCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk, laughing with his attorneys before court as he sits in a Utah County courtroom for the very first time for a hearing related to his murder case. And he's in street clothes as Charlie Kirk's widow fires back at conspiracy theorists, cashing in on her husband's murder. I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than anyone else out there.

I take a look at the very latest in the case, what we know about Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin and how Robinson's attorneys are borrowing a page from another high-profile cases playbook. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. It's been exactly three months since an Assassin's Bullet took the life of conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk in an instant on the campus of Utah Valley University. Charlie Kirk was only 31 years old, a husband and a father to two young children, known for going to college campuses to challenge college students, inviting them up to an open mic to discuss ideas. Not everyone agreed with Charlie Kirk, but he was willing to engage. After a 33-hour manhunt, officials announced that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson had been taken into custody.

Robinson's mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented. She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning, genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views. In one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robinson said was a stupid venue for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate. learned that Tyler Robinson was a one-time straight-A student who left college after just one semester for unknown reasons. He'd been living with a transgender roommate who was transitioning from

male to female at the time of Charlie Kirk's murder. And Robinson was a gamer active on steam and possibly involved in furry culture. Robinson was active on discord. And a spokesperson for the company told me in September that Robinson's account made statements about the shooting after it had happened. Utah County's prosecutor read text between Robinson and his roommate in which he said Robinson confessed to murdering Charlie Kirk. Roommate. How long have you been planning this? Robinson. A bit over a week, I believe. I can get close to it, but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don't want to chance it. Robinson again. I'm wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle. I'm worried what my old man would do

if I didn't bring back Grandpa's rifle. I-D-E-K, if it's had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. I worry about Prince I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits, didn't have the ability or time to bring it with. I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find prints. How the F will I explain losing it to my old man? Only thing I left was the rifle, was the rifle wrapped in a towel. Remember how he was engraving bullets? The FN messages are mostly a big meme. If I see Notice Bulge UWU on Fox News, I might have a stroke all right. I'm going to have to leave it. That really effing sucks. Judging from today, I'd say grandpa's gun does just fine IDK. I think that was a $2K dollar scope. Wink-wink. Robinson, Robinson again, delete this

exchange. Again, Robinson, my dad wants photos of the rifle. He says grandpa wants to know who has what the feds released a photo of the rifle and it is very unique he's calling me rn not answering robinson since trump got into office my dad has been pretty diehard maga robinson i'm going to turn myself in willingly one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff again you are all i worry about love that came from robson Robinson, roommate. I'm much more worried about you. Robinson, don't talk to the media, please. Don't take any interviews or make any comments. If any police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and stay silent. Now, right now, Tyler Robinson is the only person charged in Charlie Kirk's murder,

but the investigation is ongoing, but that hasn't stopped conspiracy theories from spreading like wildfire on the internet and on YouTube among podcasters and others. Erica Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow addressed that on the Fox News Channel show outnumbered this week. Anytime we hear a lead or anytime we hear anything, we send it to the authorities. Please dig into this. No rock will be unturned. I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than anyone else out there.

So for me, you want to keep telling me to come down while we're, we're building. I don't have time for that. But here's my breaking point on that. Come after me. Call me names. I don't care. Call me what you want. Go down that rabbit hole. Whatever. But when you go after my family, my Turning Point USA family, my Charlie Kirk show family, when you go after the people that I love and you're making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode going after the people that I love because somehow they're in on this, no. And there have been people who've actually suggested

that people at Turning Point USA had something to do with Charlie Kirk's murder. Now, we've only seen Tyler Robinson during a court appearance once, and that was via Zoom from the jail during his first appearance. Calling case 251-403-576, State of Utah versus Tyler James Robinson.

Could you state your name? Tyler James Robinson. Thank you for being here, Mr. Robinson. I'm Judge Graff. Being on camera means that having the right makeup to keep my skin happy is really important. I've always hated it when makeup feels cakey or heavy, especially during the holidays when you're running from work to parties, and your skin can start to feel really stressed.

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holiday sets. They won't be here for long, and once they're gone, they're gone. Also, as a treat for our listeners, you will get a free cool gloss on your first purchase when you use code crime fix at checkout. Just head to jonesroadbeautcom and use code crime fix at checkout. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you. During that court appearance, Tyler Robinson was wearing a green turtle suit used for people who are on watch to ensure they can't end their lives. At Robinson's subsequent court appearance, he appeared via WebEx with his camera off. I remain steadfast in my oath that I made 56 days ago to support and defend the constitutions of the United States and of Utah. I will carry out

my duties with fidelity, transparency, and impartiality, treating every person who appears before me with the dignity and respect they are inherently due because they are human beings. Let me be clear, I will not put my finger on the scale of justice. These proceedings will be open to the public, conducted in accordance with the law, and handled with diligence and competence to ensure that justice is never compromised. It is the standing order of this court that Mr. Robinson shall be allowed to appear in person so he can fully engage with his attorneys and participate in these legal proceedings. Council, regardless of who is watching, whether it is the nation or a single individual,

we must fulfill our roles with integrity, civility, and diligence. Since that time, the judge held a closed hearing, and now the media wants the transcript of that hearing. Judge Graff has granted a motion to allow Tyler Robinson to appear in street clothes for all pretrial hearings, but he has to wear restraints. Mr. Robinson also requests to appear unrestrained during pretrial proceedings. He argues that visible restraints would prejudice potential jurors, undermine his dignity, and interfere with his ability to communicate with counsel. Rule 3-14 sub-9C of the Utah Rules of Judicial Administration

requires that all in custody defendants be restrained unless otherwise ordered by the court. The court recognizes that Mr. Robinson has no criminal history and no record of misconduct while in custody. However, the charges he faces are extraordinarily serious, carrying potential penalties of life imprisonment or death. The safety of Mr. Robinson, the attorneys, court staff, and the public must remain the court's highest priority. The emotional nature of these proceedings also raise the risk of disruption.

Given these factors, the defendant's request to appear without restraint is denied. The court directs to the sheriff's department to conduct an individualized assessment and use the least restrictive restraints necessary to maintain safety. If those restraints impede the defendant's ability to communicate with counsel or take notes, counsel may renew the motion. I wish now to also address the decorum and media restrictions to mitigate any potential prejudice. The court will amend its standing decorum order. The media will be prohibited from photographing or visually recording Mr. Robinson's restraints

and from photographing or recording him while entering, exiting, or standing in the courtroom. In a shirt and tie, Tyler Robinson appeared in that Utah County courtroom under heavy, heavy security. He spoke to his lawyers and smiled, even appearing to laugh at times. The hearing was in part because the media wants access to transcripts from that closed hearing from October, where courtroom security measures were discussed. The media coalition's lawyers wrote that the media should have access to the transcripts citing several cases. This right of access has a time-honored history rooted in the acknowledgement that courts do the public's business and an open court fosters and protection. important societal values. It enhances the quality and safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process, improves basic fairness and the appearance of fairness in the proceedings, fosters public confidence in the judicial process and acceptance of its results, acts as a check on the judiciary and allows the public to participate in government. Although members of the public may not attend criminal proceedings in large numbers, the news media access the public surrogate in attending such

proceedings and reporting to the public, thus educating the public. Now, back to the hearing. It comes down. We're addressing three issues. The first is the October 14th, 2025 audio recording of the closed hearing and the October 24th, 2025 transcript of that hearing. The second is a state's motion to amend or clarify the publicity order, commonly. known or referred to as the gag order. And finally, the motion for limited intervention and request for notice of motions to close, seal, or reclassify, and which has been filed by the media organizations and by counsel who are present today. So as we begin, the first part is we'll begin by addressing the October 14th audio recording and the October 24th transcript. This portion

of the hearing will be closed so that I may hear from the parties regarding which portions of the recording, the records should remain sealed. Thank you. Richard Novak for Mr. Robinson. Mr. Robinson has some immediate family members who are present, his father, his mother, and his brother, and we would ask the court to permit them to remain in the courtroom during the closed portion of the hearing. To the state.

My only concern with that, Your Honor, is that we're going to be talking court security measures and I don't know that we'll have to go into a lot of detail about that but I do have concerns about those issues being discussed in public. Mr. Novak do you have authority that supports allowing them to remain in a closed hearing? No I think it's subject to the court's discretion to decide who is and is not an appropriate member of the public. I think they have a unique relationship with Mr. Robinson and they would certainly abide by any orders the court makes concerning disclosure of what is discussed in closed session, but obviously it's up to the

court. Thank you, Mr. Novak. I'm going to rule that they will be excluded as well. It is just given the nature and the sensitivity of it, I believe it is appropriate to treat all parties in the public equally, though I do recognize their relationship with Mr. Robinson. So this is really interesting because we had been told that Tyler Robinson's parents played a role in turning him in, but now they're apparently in court to support him. Most families would support their loved one going through something like this. But we don't know if this means that they believe he's in fact innocent or not. Tyler Robinson appears to get along well with his lawyers. They have mentioned in some court documents that they don't want cameras in the

courtroom. And this kind of reminds me of Brian Coburger's lawyers, another high-profile death penalty defendant who later pleaded guilty. Coburger's lawyers also asked that he appear in street closed at hearings and they won that motion. But I don't think that's uncommon. I've seen that request granted in a number of high-profile cases over the years. Now back to court after that closed session. We're going back on the record in case 251, 403-576, state of Utah versus Tyler James Robinson, I note the presence of counsel that previously answered their appearances. We have come out of the closed session and concluded that business. However, the court became aware of an event that happened before.

my understanding was during the open portion of this hearing earlier that there was a violation of the standing decorum order as it relates to transmission of these proceedings. I want to hear from counsel and then I will make a ruling of concerning that. So this was a big deal. This was the first hearing where Tyler Robinson appeared in person in the courtroom, in plain close and the media had been ordered to not show Tyler Robinson's restraints. Robinson's lawyers asked that the TV camera be removed. It is our position, the defense position, that there has been a violation of the decorum order.

It is our understanding that those live streaming this signed and declared that they would follow the decorum order and they violated it. So we are requesting a sanction. We believe these court's orders are. are binding and they need to be respected. We also believe that it threatens my client's right to a fair trial. It's the whole reason we filed a motion in the first place to remove his shackles. It's our understanding that his shackles are visible. It is also our understanding that potentially some audio from council table was heard. We are definitely taking more measures on our own to ensure that that does not happen

again. But there has also been some filming of computers and materials at council's desk. That's entirely inappropriate. And I think everybody in this room will agree that's entirely inappropriate. So we are asking for some remedial measures here. We're asking for it to terminate for today. And we can proceed after that. Now the attorney for the media argued to keep the cameras in the courtroom. This is the first time that we've heard about the violation. We've not had an opportunity to look at the video or investigate the audio or look at the capture of the computers. But filming of the inadvertent filming of the shackles,

I did talk to the pool photographer. My understanding is that there was a zoom-out shot that did inadvertently show the shackles. That was improper. That was inadvertent. And we apologize for that. They've taken measures to make sure that the pool, video that is disseminated to the rest of the pool does not contain any capture of the defendant

and the shackles. Judge Graff showed a lot of grace and he allowed the camera to stay in the courtroom despite the violation. This court does have the right and will exercise termination of broadcast of these proceedings and and I simply want to put all parties on notice to the press to all parties that this court takes this very seriously. while the court believes in openness and transparency, it needs to be balanced with the constitutional rights of all parties in this case. As such, we will take a brief recess to allow the relocation of the camera. Then the prosecutor asks that the publicity order in the case, we would usually call it a gag order, be clarified. So in other words, the prosecution team.

And there's no rule or case law or statute that expands. the prosecution's duties beyond that group, the prosecution team. So with respect to clarity, we're seeking clarity as to what exactly does the court mean by witnesses, and we think the court just means the prosecution team because if that term stretches beyond just the prosecution team, then the order is written we don't believe is a valid and lawful order because it would result in a prior restraint on certain speech and at the very least would have a chilling effect on that speech. Judge Graff says that the prosecution is claiming that there are apparently 3,000 lay witnesses to the assassination

in this case. Due to the potential confusion, this court grants the state's motion and offers the following clarification. The word witness, as used in this order, applies to all witnesses who are part of the prosecution and defense teams. This includes any witness, including lay witnesses, whom the prosecution or defense has a good faith belief will be called to testify at a hearing or trial. The court also clarifies that the publicity order, as written, regulates the behavior of attorneys who are associated with the defense team or the Utah County Attorney's Office. It requires the attorneys to abide by Rule 3.6, and in order to deter non-attorneys from making prejudicial statements, requires the attorneys to inform witnesses about the prohibitions

in the publicity order. Informing witnesses about the prohibitions in the publicity order is a necessary step. Informing witnesses about the prohibitions in the publicity order is a necessary step toward not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly permitting witnesses for making prejudicial statements. The publicity order does not regulate the behavior of any person who is not an attorney associated with this case. And this order will be signed today by myself and made public. And there was another issue regarding Charlie Kirk's widow, Kirk, she will apparently be exempt from the gag order. Your Honor, on behalf of Mr. Robinson, we certainly think it's appropriate for Mrs. Kirk to be

designated as the victim representative, if that is the desire of the state, just so there can be no doubt that she's afforded all of the rights assured to her under our state statutes, and we have no objection to that. Thank you. Thank you to all parties. This court will recognize Ms. Erica Kirk as the designated victim representative in this case. The assistant county attorney said that they're working to get discovery to Tyler Robinson's attorneys, but they say that so far they've received nearly 14,000 files from law enforcement and more may be coming. Robinson's lawyer said she wants to see the evidence justifying the prosecution seeking the death penalty in this case. I mean,

the county attorney has made a decision, very public decision, to announce their intent to seek death the day that there was an arrest, which means that that obligation to provide us with the probable cause for everything they relied upon to charge applies now to their intent to seek death. And we're nowhere near getting that material. So that was their decision to release that. Normally, that decision is not made until 30 days after a preliminary hearing. They made it in advance. And now they've got an obligation to tell me their aggravation and what they've relied on to make this a death penalty case. And we have not received that. So I'm waiting, but I'm just laying that out there for now. So Judge Graf, he's going to issue his decision on whether to release

the transcript from those October hearings with redactions or not at the end of this month. And for now, the preliminary hearing is scheduled for three days in May of 2026. Tyler Robinson remains in jail held without bail as prosecutors seek the death penalty against him. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.