As Tyler Robinson awaits trial for the alleged assassination of Charlie Kirk, his lawyers have argued in a new court filing that authorities have not been able to link the bullet that killed the conservative activist to a gun owned by their client.
Robinson’s defense team made the claim in a motion to delay an upcoming preliminary hearing that’s scheduled for May. At the hearing, a judge is expected to decide whether the case will move forward to trial.
The lawyers claimed that an Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) summary report indicated that the agency “was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson,” according to the filing viewed by People.
“Although the State has not indicated an intent to produce this report at the preliminary hearing, the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence,” the filing continued.
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“In order to make this determination, it is necessary for the defense and its firearm expert to review the ATF case file and protocols relating to this examination, which have not yet been provided,” the filing continued. “The State has also indicated that the FBI is in the process of conducting a second comparative bullet analysis, as well as a bullet lead analysis, but that these analyses are not yet complete.”
Robinson, 22, was arrested this fall after he was accused of killing Kirk while the political wunderkind was speaking at a Turning Point USA event on September 10, 2025, at the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah.
Kirk was killed at the age of 31 when he was hit by a bullet fired from more than 100 yards away. A multi-day manhunt was launched as police tried to find the shooter, and Robinson was ultimately arrested after a family member grew suspicious of his alleged involvement in the shooting and helped arrange the capture.
Prosecutors have said that DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges.
However, defense attorneys said that forensic reports indicate that multiple people’s DNA was found on some of the items that were tested. The defense team has said that a more complex analysis is necessary in order to determine Robinson’s alleged involvement in the shooting.
Robinson is currently facing several felonies, including aggravated murder. He has not yet entered a plea in the case.
The suspect’s lawyers made the filing after Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, called for transparency in the murder case.
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Legal documents filed in February revealed that Erika, 37, asked for full transparency when Robinson takes the stand, insisting that the case should unfold openly with evidence presented to the press and public, according to TMZ.
She also emphasized in the filing that Robinson has the right to a fair and impartial trial.
“Without meaningful access to those proceedings, the public will be unable to directly observe and evaluate the evidence presented,” Erika urged Judge Tony Graf Jr. in the motion, according to News 4 Reno. “In the absence of transparency, speculation, misinformation and conspiracy theories are likely to proliferate, eroding public confidence in the judicial process.”