It's a beautiful late-summer day in September 2025 when right-wing figure Charlie Kirk debates gun violence with a political opponent at Utah Valley University. Thousands of students are in the audience.
Suddenly, shots are heard and shortly afterwards, screams. Kirk is shot in the throat and is carried off the stage by his security personnel, while panic spreads among the spectators.
The news of Kirk's death comes a couple of hours after the shooting, and it is the president himself who delivers it.
"The fantastic, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk is dead," Donald Trump writes on Truth Social.
Thousands of tips
Less than two days - and thousands of tips received - later, a 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, is arrested. At the advice of his parents, he turns himself in to authorities.
The first stage of Robinson's trial begins on Monday. These are preliminary hearings to determine whether there is sufficient evidence and whether the death penalty is warranted, CBS News reports.
The hearing will be like a mini-trial and the standard of proof is lower than in a regular trial, where prosecutors must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.” This week, prosecutors only need to show that there is reasonable cause to believe that Robinson killed Kirk. After that, the district judge will decide whether to proceed with the case, writes CBS News.
Tyler Robinson faces the death penalty.
“I forgive him”
According to prosecutors, Tyler Robinson had left a note for his roommate and partner under his keyboard:
"I have a chance to get rid of Charlie Kirk and I intend to take it," the note reportedly said, according to the investigation.
Charlie Kirk's parents are expected to appear in court throughout the week, according to sources in American media. Kirk's wife Erika Kirk, the mother of the couple's two children, is also expected to appear in court.
I forgive him, because that's what Christ does and that's what Charlie would have done, said the newly widowed woman in her speech during a large memorial service held barely two weeks after the shooting.
After Charlie Kirk's death, Erika Kirk took over the leadership role in the conservative organization Turning Point USA, which her husband had co-founded.
31-year-old Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The father of a toddler has been described as a superstar within the American right and was close to President Donald Trump, and it was Trump who announced via social media a few hours after the shooting that Kirk was dead.
At the age of 18, Kirk co-founded the conservative student organization Turning Point USA and is said to have been a contributing factor in so many young Americans voting for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the United States' highest civilian honor.
Correction: An earlier version of the text stated the wrong year for the presidential election.
