More video expected during hearing in case against man accused of killing Charlie Kirk

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors seeking to convince a Utah judge to put the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on trial are expected to present more law enforcement video and a recorded statement from the defendant's roommate as a weeklong preliminary hearing continues Tuesday.

The court proceedings began Monday and so far have produced no major revelations but marked the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case against defendant Tyler Robinson, 23, who is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump.

Former Utah Valley University Officer Christopher Bagley testified that he witnessed the shooting while the conservative activist was speaking to a campus crowd of thousands on Sept. 10. Soon after, Bagley went to a nearby gravel rooftop, where it appeared someone had been lying prone with a clear sightline to Kirk’s location, he said.

“It looks like a sniper pad,” Bagley told the court.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea, and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. They have, however, sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.

If prosecutors follow the order of an exhibit list they submitted earlier this year, they will present a video from the Washington County sheriff’s office from Sept. 11 — the day Robinson turned himself in — and recorded testimony from Robinson’s roommate.

Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

Robinson also reportedly texted his roommate that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.

Prosecutors have also said they plan to present DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, autopsy findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing. In addition, they are expected to argue the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law.

Monday marked the first time Kirk’s parents, Kathryn and Robert, and widow, Erika, were in the courtroom since the case began.

Robinson’s parents also were present, sitting a few rows behind the Kirks. Robinson sat quietly between his attorneys throughout the hearing, looking at the prosecution’s exhibits on a monitor and occasionally taking notes. His wrists were shackled to a chain around his waist.

Prosecutors showed several graphic videos of Kirk's shooting, including of the moment he was shot and security administering first aid, as they made their case to state District Judge Tony Graf.

Kirk's family briefly walked out of the courtroom twice — when Bagley started testifying about Charlie Kirk’s arrival on campus and again when prosecutors introduced the videos. Each time, they returned.

The proceeding resembles a minitrial, but prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk and should stand trial. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Prosecutors, as a result, should have little trouble advancing their case, said Mark Kouris, a former prosecutor and state judge in Salt Lake City.

“This standard is extremely low and the chances of them not getting through it are, quite frankly, almost nothing," said Kouris, now an adjunct professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester repeatedly objected to evidence introduced by prosecutors. She was mostly overruled by the judge.

When she asked Bagley about finding an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled, he acknowledged he never took custody of the holster and didn’t know whether it had been fingerprinted.

Utah is an open carry state, meaning people can carry guns openly or conceal them without a permit.

Graf sided with the defense to block the introduction of a compilation of surveillance videos from Utah Valley University because some had been altered to zoom in or had circles drawn around individuals. Prosecutors said they would try again Tuesday to introduce that video with the alterations removed.

Before his death, Kirk and the organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, galvanized the conservative youth vote to help Trump win a second term.

The Republican president has said he hopes Robinson receives the death penalty.

Erika Kirk said during her husband's memorial service that she forgives Robinson.

Ahead of Monday's hearing, she thanked supporters in a statement for their kindness and prayers.

“Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death,” she wrote, “and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children.”

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Matt Robinson, father, and Amber Robinson, mother, second right, of Tyler Robinson arrive at the Fourth District Courthouse, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Provo, Utah, ahead of a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps)

Media reporters wait outside the Fourth District Courthouse, ahead of a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, Monday, July 6, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott)

Charlie Kirk's parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, arrive at the Fourth District Courthouse for a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, Monday, July 6, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott)

Erika Kirk leaves the Fourth District Courthouse, Monday, July 6, 2026, in Provo, Utah, after a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Marielle Scott)

FILE - A well-wisher places flowers at a makeshift memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA headquarters, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

U.S. President Donald Trump has met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, announcing that the U.S. will lift sanctions, opening the possibility of selling F-35 jets to Turkey over Israel's objections.

Trump also criticized NATO’s abilities to function without American leadership and power, expressing disappointment at the refusal of some NATO allies to join the Iran war he launched alongside Israel without consulting them. And he insisted again that Greenland should be “controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.” Of all of his threats to NATO and its member countries, this has posed the greatest danger to the organization.

Alliance leaders meanwhile are trying to show increased military capabilities as the American focus shifts from defending Europe. The two-day summit will showcase military projects worth billions of dollars aimed at persuading Trump they’re making a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO.

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The White House shared details of the menu for the dinner, which had a first course of flatbread and a honeycomb. It was followed by vegetables and yogurt, traditional dumplings and a choice of sea bass or beef.

Dessert was Baklava with milk, a pistachio foam and traditional Turkish Maras ice cream.Trump arrives at NATO leaders’ dinner

Trump has returned to the Turkish presidential compound for a dinner for leaders of NATO members.

Trump gave a thumbs-up as he walked the blue carpet past a military honor guard to meet Erdogan and his wife who waited at the top of some stairs for him.

Trump shook their hands and spoke to them for a few minutes before posing for a photograph.

He then continued speaking to Erdogan for a moment more before they went inside together.

The trilateral cooperation agreement was agreed to by Secretary Marco Rubio and his Korean and Japanese counterparts on the margins of the summit to “advance our mutual security interests and paves the way for partner countries to meet their energy security needs,” the U.S. State Department announced in a press release Tuesday.

The memorandum of understanding between the three countries is aimed at accelerating deployment of advanced nuclear reactors in other countries, initially focusing on the Indo-Pacific region.

The release said the U.S. is also committing more than $10 million in new funding for a State Department program aimed at providing technical support to relevant countries.

NATO leaders are arriving at the Turkish presidential compound for a dinner hosted by Erdogan.

The leaders are walking along a turquoise‑colored carpet lined with soldiers dressed in historic military garments, before ascending steps where they are greeted by Erdogan and his wife, Emine.

Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic could be in hot water with the Trump administration after new NATO defense spending figures showed they’re struggling to meet the organization’s old target.

NATO leaders agreed last year to invest 5% of GDP on defense by 2035 — 3.5% on core defense requirements and 1.5% on upgrading security related infrastructure like roads, bridges, ports and airports.

The Trump administration is expecting a “first report card” to be handed in by European allies and Canada to demonstrate progress. It’s threatened to take unspecified action against those lacking a solid plan to make the grade.

Some are still struggling to meet NATO’s old target of 2% of GDP. Slovenia is expected to fall short, with just 1.6%. Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic are forecast to barely make 2%.

Rahm Emanuel’s remarks could prompt a similarly fiery response from Benjamin Netanyahu, who famously once called the Democrat who had ambitions of being the first Jewish speaker of the U.S. House a “self-hating Jew.”

The prime minister faces his own battle for reelection in October, and may try to use a confrontation with Emanuel for political gain by appearing to stand strong in the face of international criticism.

As for Democrats, Emanuel’s speed represents a particularly frontal strategy for possible presidential contenders gauging how to address the fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza and Netanyahu’s perceived tilt toward Trump ’s Republican Party.

Rahm Emanuel told The Associated Press in an interview from Tel Aviv ahead of his speech on Wednesday that he’s avoiding interactions with elected officials so as to not interfere with upcoming elections. Instead he’s visiting a hospital serving Israelis and Palestinians and meeting with the family of an Oct. 7 hostage.

Emanuel said Israel’s continued military response to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, has been “reckless and careless in the treatment of Palestinian life — not only the military campaign but using food and medicine as an instrument of your military goals.”

Asked whether Israel had committed genocide, the stalwart of Democratic centrists said the question should not be considered in isolation without also examining conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan.

“I’m ready to have that discussion,” he said, “but I don’t think it should be politicized, and then dilute the power of what genocide means.”

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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, left, receives applause from NATO members including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, center, and U.S. President Joe Biden during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, with Sweden, at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Wednesday, July, 12, 2023. (Doug Mills/Pool via AP)

Article 5 is at the heart of the 32-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all members.

That security guarantee is the reason previously neutral Finland and Sweden sought to join NATO and why Ukraine and other countries in Europe also want in. It has only been invoked once, in the wake of the Sept.11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

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Ozgur Ozel said Trump would be the only visiting U.S. president not to pay his respects at the mausoleum of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

He said every visiting U.S. president since Eisenhower in 1959 had gone to the monument to honor Ataturk, who remains a revered figure in Turkey.

Talking about Trump’s welcome, Ozel said the president should be greeted by children “holding pictures of the 165 girls killed in Iran” – a reference to an airstrike on a school at the start of the Iran war.

Ozel was removed as head of the Republican People’s Party by court order last May. However, many believe the ruling was politically motivated and still consider him the de facto opposition leader.

Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden did not visit Turkey but he did lay a wreath at Ataturk’s tomb as vice-president in 2011.

The explosions in Syria’s capital on Tuesday injured at least 18 people, the interior ministry said, as France’s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit. Both leaders later announced the reappointment of ambassadors, marking a major restoration of diplomatic ties after years of civil war.

It was the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he welcomed the first major Western leader to visit since the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad in late 2024. But French President Emmanuel Macron was safe in the presidential palace when the explosions happened, and voiced support for the country’s new direction.

“Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” Macron said on X hours later. Both he and Al-Sharaa will next appear in Ankara, Turkey for the NATO summit.

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The British military now says three tankers were struck Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a third ship was hit by a drone in the critical oil-shipping waterway, where two other tankers had been attacked earlier in the day.

The third ship sustained minor damage, with no one injured, and continued on its way, the UKMTO said.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes and later charge fees, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast.

Air defenses are on alert, and tens of thousands of police will be on duty.

Neighborhoods around the summit site are closed to traffic, and some state workers have been given time off to help keep roads unclogged.

Public gatherings are banned; however, Turkish police detained more than 20 protestors at a demonstration in central Ankara against the NATO summit on Tuesday.

Erdogan’s government has prioritized security, and authorities have carried out raids on people allegedly linked to extremist groups ahead of the summit.

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Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey that were issued after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system that led to the country being kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program.

There are still a number of legal hurdles before Turkey could be fully admitted back to the U.S. program, but the removal of the sanctions — issued under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act — would help ease the process for Ankara to regain access to the F-35s, a top goal of Erdogan.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off, OK?” Trump said in response to a question at the presidential palace in Ankara. He said Cabinet officials were working on the matter.

Earlier, he said that the possibility of selling the F-35s to Turkey is “certainly something we will consider.”

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Erdogan expressed hope that the U.S. will sell F-35 planes to Turkey, saying the U.S. president always stands by his word.

At a joint news conference with Trump, Erdogan also said the two leaders would take up the issue of the sale of jet engines to power Turkey’s domestically-produced KAAN fighter planes.

He said Turkey expects Trump to “repeat the positive news” he previously gave about supporting Turkey’s defense projects.

Trump says the semiautonomous island, which is part of NATO ally Denmark, is “an important part for the United States,” and that he does not intend to let Greenland be threatened by China and Russia. He repeated the false claim that it’s surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.

“That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Erdogan.

Of all Trump’s threats to NATO and its member countries, Trump’s repeated insistence that the U.S. should acquire Greenland has posed the greatest danger to the organization. NATO is founded on the principle that its 32 members will defend each other’s territory and not threaten to seize it.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center made the announcement Tuesday, hours after it said a tanker traveling off the coast of Oman in the strait was struck by a projectile and caught fire.

Iranian state television reported on the earlier attack, saying the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings, while not directly claiming responsibility. Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, and is suspected of attacking other ships that have tried to transit the strait close to the Omani shore.

Talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the initial attacks by the U.S. and Israel that launched the war. Iranian mourners have called for the death of Trump.

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A senior NATO official speaking on the sidelines of the summit in Ankara Tuesday said that despite some “reckless” actions by Russia, including airspace violations over Poland, Romania and Estonia, he believes the alliance has been successful in deterring Russia from any potential attack on a member country.

“I see absolutely no indications whatsoever that Russia is interested in any sort of conflict with NATO,” the official said.

He said Moscow is overstretched by its war in Ukraine and knows NATO would respond to any attack on a member.

“I would say now that Russia is deterred, but Russia is deterred because of the actions that we are taking,” he said.

While Trump is in Turkey demanding loyalty from NATO allies, a leading Democrat will be in Tel Aviv, directly accusing the president’s military partner of driving Israel into a “dead end.”

Potential presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel plans to denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for an end to U.S. subsidies of Israel’s defense budget in a speech Wednesday at Tel Aviv University.

“You’ve lost Europe,” Emanuel will say, according to remarks obtained by The Associated Press. Castigating Netanyahu for doing little to end the Iran war, he’ll note that “support for Israel is plummeting around the world.”

About 58% of Democrats now say the U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, up from 45% in January 2024. Roughly half of Democrats believe Israel’s government has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza, an accusation leveled by some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. government.

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The U.S. leader was asked about his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy scheduled for Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit, and responded by saying he’s had great recent phone conversations with both the Ukrainian president and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“They both want to get it settled now,” he said.

He added later that Erdogan is “helping us get it settled.”

At his bilateral meeting with Erdogan, Trump said he was testing European allies when he asked for their help with the Iran war.

“Italy turned us down and Germany turned us down and France turned us down,” Trump said. “And that’s OK. But, you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us?”

The complaint has been a central point of conflict between Trump and NATO, which he has described as a “paper tiger."

As they sat down for a bilateral meeting, Trump showered praise on Erdogan, saying they have a “very special relationship” that benefits both countries.

Asked about what makes their relationship so strong, Trump said there’s “a chemistry that works between us.”

“Sometimes you get along with the toughest people, like him,” Trump said, gesturing to Erdogan. “Sometimes you don’t get along with the weakest, most pathetic people.”

The president was asked by a reporter as he met with Erdogan whether he’ll allow the sale of the American fighter jets to Turkey, which had been banned from the program after purchasing Russian missile defense systems.

“It’s certainly something we will consider,” Trump said as he sat with his Turkish counterpart.

He said that “Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly urged the U.S. not to sell the jets to Turkey, saying it would upset the balance of power in the Middle East.

FIFA has defended the reputation of World Cup referee Raphael Claus in rare pushback on comments by Trump, who questioned his integrity for sending off Folarin Balogun.

Trump suggested on Monday at the White House, without elaborating, that the 46-year-old Brazilian referee was “a little bit suspect if you check his past.”

Trump set off a furor by successfully intervening with FIFA to ensure the United States forward could play against Belgium despite his red-card penalty. FIFA praised Claus, now working at his second World Cup, in a statement published before the U.S. lost 4-1 Monday night.

“Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism and integrity,” FIFA said, calling Claus “one of the world’s leading professional referees and a valued member” of its team of World Cup match officials.

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Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal for Ukraine to be allowed to join NATO, saying that his country’s armed forces are highly experienced and resilient would only boost the alliance’s defense capabilities.

“Ukraine belongs in NATO,” Zelenskyy said at a defense industry forum, near where NATO leaders were due to gather later on Tuesday.

Zelenskyy highlighted Ukraine’s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit oil refineries and other energy targets. He said that Ukraine’s armed forces are “eliminating” on average 30,000 Russian troops every month.

“Do you believe it would be right to live outside NATO, a country and a people with this level of defense capability?” he said.

Another top agenda item is continued support to Ukraine, now in a fifth year of full-scale war with Russia. European allies and Canada are funding most of Ukraine’s needs, including paying for about 90% of the country’s air defenses.

With European countries fearing what Moscow’s territorial ambitions might lie beyond Ukraine, leaders have described Kyiv as a bulwark against Russian advances.

Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.

The Dutch defense ministry says it is investing together with the United Kingdom in new amphibious transport vessels and with other NATO allies in replacing aging AWACS surveillance planes.

The government announced the plans on the first day of the NATO summit in Ankara to underscore its commitment to ramping up defense spending.

The ministry says the Dutch also are playing a leading role in a European initiative to co-produce and maintain American arms such as Stinger, Amraam, and PAC-3 missiles.

Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius says the Netherlands and European allies “are investing much more in strengthening European defense” with extra money “but also by working together smarter.”

Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed before leaving Berlin that his country has doubled its defense spending since 2022.

He said that “we are not making this effort to do anyone a favor; we are making this effort because it is necessary for our defense, for our security.”

Merz said that “Russia remains a serious threat” and is “testing our determination every day.” He added that “it is all the more important that we send a signal of strength and unity in Ankara.”

Merz said: “This summit should send the message that we are building a more European NATO so that NATO can remain trans-Atlantic.”

Front row from left, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew G. Whitaker attend the formal welcome for President Donald Trump at the NATO summit at the Bestepe Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks out from his car window as he arrives for the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Metin Aktaş, Pool Photo via AP)

Members of the Historical Honor Guard stand before the welcoming ceremony for President Donald Trump at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Front row from second left, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during a formal welcome for President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

US President Donald Trump and American officials meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish officials at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July, 7, 2026. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

President Donald Trump, right, speaks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Doğukan Keskinkılıç, Pool Photo via AP)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, center, arrives ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, July 6, 2026. (Abdullah Güçlü, Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during a media conference at the end of the NATO summit as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One, Monday, July 6, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)