Charlie Kirk's Accused Killer Tyler Robinson Shouldn't Receive Death Penalty as He 'Hit the Intended Target,' Defense Attorneys Claim

Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, shouldn't receive the death penalty as he “hit the intended target” and no one else was injured during the incident that took place on a Utah campus in September 2025, his defense counsel claimed.

Robinson's attorneys wrote in documents filed on Tuesday, August 11, that said the bullet fired from a rooftop went above the crowd who attended Kirk's debate at the time.

The docs noted prosecutors have not yet proven that Robinson knew other attendees were in peril — a possibly aggravating condition under state law that could bring the offense up to a capital crime.

“The only evidence presented supports that the bullet traveled above, not through, the crowd,” the lawyers penned.

“The bullet that struck and killed Mr. Kirk was not fired in an enclosed bedroom or space but rather, an open-air arena with what the State’s witnesses termed, 'a clear line of sight,'" the statement read.

“There were no threats to others in the course of conduct. There was no one 'directly' next to Mr. Kirk when he was shot, and there was no one under the tent on the side that Mr. Kirk was struck or behind him in the breezeway," they went on.

“Multiple shots were not fired,” they added. “There were no ricocheting bullets.”

The attorneys also disputed claims Robinson targeted the conservative pundit over his political ideologies. Prosecutors previously alleged Robinson told his roommate he shot Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”

However, the defense said that statement was not adequate enough to prove what really motivated the 22-year-old Utah native to allegedly kill Kirk following searches of his apartment and computers.

The Turning Point USA CEO was assassinated on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University, with Robinson turning himself in to the authorities the next day.

Last month, Prosecutors presented what they deemed as “overwhelming” evidence against Robinson, including DNA tests that link him to the suspected murder firearm.

Robinson's attorneys inquired about the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence during the July hearing, but they didn’t state other theories for Kirk's murder.

Prosecutors also noted in their findings Robinson packed his rifle with four bullets, which exhibited a feeling that he knew he could miss the right-wing political activist, “thereby putting others in danger.”

But his defense attorneys argued that “it is just as likely that the shooter did not believe he would miss.”

Robinson has also not yet entered a plea in his case.