Charlie Kirk shooting suspect's lawyers question bullet fragment evidence ahead of hearing
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk in September 2025, have requested a six-month delay for the preliminary hearing to thoroughly review DNA and other evidence related to the case.
- A key piece of evidence is DNA from a decades-old German bolt-action rifle allegedly used in the shooting, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has not confirmed the bullet recovered matches this rifle.
- Robinson’s legal team has not yet accessed the full ATF case file or examination protocols and is awaiting completion of a secondary bullet analysis by the FBI to assess the reliability of the forensic evidence.
- The defense may use testimony from the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence depending on their independent expert’s evaluation of the forensic data.
- The defense is also processing extensive digital discovery, including hundreds of hours of audio and video files, and estimates that a comprehensive review to identify missing materials and prepare for the hearing will require hundreds of hours.
