In a major twist in the assassination case of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, defense attorneys for Tyler Robinson now claim that forensic evidence fails to link the suspect’s weapon to the fatal shooting.
According to recent court filings, an analysis by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) could not definitively connect the bullet fragment recovered during Kirk’s autopsy to the rifle found near the scene at Utah Valley University.
The defense motion states that the ATF was “unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson.”
Robinson, 22, is accused of the September 10 shooting and faces the death penalty.
While prosecutors argue that DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the rifle’s trigger, the defense is using the ballistic discrepancy to challenge the state’s narrative.
Lawyers argued that “the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence” to clear Robinson of blame.
Due to the “enormous amount” of evidence, including 700 hours of video, the defense has requested to delay the preliminary hearing until this year.
