Defense objects to showing videos of Charlie Kirk's killing in murder case, claims bias

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Graphic videos showing the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while he spoke to a crowd on a Utah college campus quickly went viral, drawing millions of views.

Screenshots from such videos were offered Tuesday as evidence in the murder case against Tyler Robinson, the man charged in Kirk’s killing. But the full videos were not shown in court, after defense attorneys objected out of concern that the footage would undermine Robinson's right to a fair trial.

Legal experts say the defense team’s worries are real: Media coverage in high-profile cases like Robinson's can have a direct “biasing effect” on potential jurors, said Cornell Law School Professor Valerie Hans.

“There were videos about the killing, and pictures and analysis (and) the entire saga of how this particular defendant came to turn himself in,” said Hans, a leading expert on the jury system. “When jurors come to a trial with this kind of background information from the media, it shapes how they see the evidence that is presented in the courtroom.”

Defense attorneys also want to oust TV and still cameras from the courtroom, arguing that “highly biased” news outlets risk tainting the case.

Prosecutors, attorneys for news organizations, and Kirk’s widow urged state District Judge Tony Graf to keep the proceedings open.

“In the absence of transparency, speculation, misinformation, and conspiracy theories are likely to proliferate, eroding public confidence in the judicial process,” Erika Kirk's attorney wrote in a court filing.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson, 22, who is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. He has not yet entered a plea.

An estimated 3,000 people attended the outdoor rally to hear Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA, who helped mobilize young people to vote for President Donald Trump.

To secure a death sentence in Utah, prosecutors must demonstrate aggravating circumstances, such as that the crime was especially heinous or atrocious. That’s where the graphic videos could come into play.

Watching those videos might make people think, "'Yeah, this was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel,'” Hans said.

Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray testified Tuesday that he thought about seeking the death penalty before an arrest had been made. He could not recall exactly when he told the governor and federal officials about his plan. Asked why he announced so early his intent to seek the death penalty, Gray said the case was already drawing enormous public attention.

“The more delay, then it just creates all this unnecessary public speculation,” he said, adding that he didn’t want Erika Kirk to have to sit with the uncertainty.

Defense attorneys are seeking to disqualify local prosecutors because the adult daughter of Chad Grunander, a deputy county attorney helping prosecute the case, attended the rally where Kirk was shot. The defense alleges the relationship represents a conflict of interest.

Grunander's daughter testified Tuesday that she did not video the shooting or the aftermath. She said she was looking at the crowd when she heard a loud pop and a man sitting nearby shouted, “He’s been shot.” She never turned to look back at Kirk and did not know he was the person shot until after she ran to safety, she said.

Judge Graf said he would issue his ruling on whether to disqualify prosecutors on Feb. 24.

Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull testified Tuesday that DNA on a firearm found wrapped in a black towel in a wooded area just off campus matched Robinson’s. Robinson also reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”

Robinson's attorneys have ramped up claims of bias as the case has advanced, even accusing news outlets of using lip readers to deduce what the defendant is whispering to his attorneys during hearings.

“Rather than being a beacon for truth and openness, the News Media have simply become a financial investor in this case,” defense attorneys wrote in a request for the court to seal some of their accusations of media bias.

Further complicating efforts to ensure a fair trial is the rhetoric swirling around Kirk's death because of his political prominence. Even before Robinson was charged, people jumped to conclusions about who the shooter could be and what kind of politics he espoused.

“People are just projecting a lot of their own sense of what they think was going on, and that really creates concerns about whether they can be open to hearing the actual evidence that’s presented,” said University of Utah law professor Teneille Brown.

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf presides over a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in 4th District Court, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray stands during a hearing on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)

Tyler Robinson, center left, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)

Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, sits to the right of defense attorney Kathryn Nester during a hearing in 4th District Court, in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Investigators found signs of forced entry at the Arizona home of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie's mother, a person familiar with the investigation said Tuesday, as the host asked for prayers to help bring back the 84-year-old, who is believed to have been taken against her will.

The host described her mother, Nancy Guthrie, as “a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant” in a social media post late Monday. She asked supporters to "raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. Bring her home.”

The Pima County sheriff and the Tucson FBI chief held a news conference Tuesday and urged the public to offer tips, but they revealed few new details about the investigation. The sheriff said they don't have credible information indicating Guthrie's disappearance was targeted.

Sheriff Chris Nanos has said Guthrie needs daily medication and could die without it. Asked whether officials were looking for her alive, he said, “We hope we are.”

DNA samples have been gathered and submitted for analysis as part of the investigation. “We’ve gotten some back, but nothing to indicate any suspects,” Nanos said.

The person who spoke to The Associated Press said investigators found specific evidence in the home showing there was a nighttime kidnapping. Several of Guthrie’s personal items, including her cellphone, wallet and car, were still there after she disappeared.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video from nearby homes and working to analyze data from cellphone towers. Police are also reviewing information from license plate cameras in the area, according to the person, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

The motive remains a mystery. Investigators do not believe at this point that the abduction was part of a robbery, home invasion or kidnapping-for-ransom plot, the person said.

TMZ reported Tuesday that it received a purported ransom note demanding payment in cryptocurrency for Guthrie's release. Separately, a journalist with Tucson television station KOLD said in an X post that the station received what appears to be a ransom note. Both outlets said they turned over the notes to investigators.

The sheriff’s department said it’s taking the possible ransom notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, said he planned to call Savannah Guthrie “later on” and called the situation “terrible.”

“I always got along very good with Savannah,” Trump said.

For a second day, “Today” opened Tuesday with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, but Savannah Guthrie was not at the anchor’s desk. NBC Sports said Guthrie will not be covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics “as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time.”

The “Today” host grew up in Tucson, graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at Tucson television station KVOA.

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at her home in the Tucson area, where she lived alone and was reported missing Sunday. Someone at her church called a family member to say she was not there, leading family to search her home and then call 911, Nanos said.

Guthrie has limited mobility, and officials do not believe she left on her own. Nanos said she is of sound mind.

In the hours after she disappeared, searchers used drones and dogs and were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol. The homicide team was also involved, Nanos said.

Guthrie’s home is in the affluent Catalina Foothills area on the northern edge of Tucson. Her brick home has a gravel driveway and a yard covered in prickly pear and saguaro cactus.

Savannah Guthrie’s parents settled in Tucson in the 1970s when she was a young child. The youngest of three siblings, she credits her mom with holding their family together after her father died of a heart attack at 49, when Savannah was just 16.

“When my dad died, our family just hung onto each other for dear life because it was such a shock. We were just trying to figure out how to become a family of four when we’d always been a family of five,” she said on “Today” in 2017.

Nancy Guthrie raised them on her own. The host often brought her mother on “Today” as a guest.

“She has met unthinkable challenges in her life with grit, without self-pity, with determination and always, always with unshakeable faith,” Savannah Guthrie said on the show in 2022 on her mother's 80th birthday.

“She loves us, her family, fiercely, and her selflessness and sacrifice for us, her steadfastness and her unmovable confidence, is the reason any of us grew up to do anything.”

Billeaud reported from Phoenix and Balsamo from Washington.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks at a news conference, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz., to provide updates in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

/// Neighbors of Nancy Guthrie, the daughter of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, show support for the family in metro Tucson, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, as the search continues to find Nancy who was reported missing. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

FILE - Savannah Guthrie arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Law enforcement officers are present outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, near Tucson, Ariz., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP)

FILE - Savannah Guthrie attends the third annual World Mental Health Day Gala, hosted by Project Healthy Minds, at Spring Studios on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, file)