Evidence presented by prosecutors this week indicates the case against the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is “cut and dry,” Donald Trump Jr. said.
President Donald Trump’s son, who spoke at Kirk’s memorial service in September, attended a crucial multi-day hearing on Monday and Tuesday in Provo, Utah, where prosecutors are seeking to prove they have evidence to try suspect Tyler James Robinson for allegedly shooting the Turning Point USA co-founder during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
“Once this hard evidence was laid out to me in a courtroom, before my very eyes, and seeing the reaction of the defense, this thing is much more cut and dry than I would’ve ever even imagined,” Trump told Fox News on Wednesday.
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Trump said that Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, had been “very grateful” for his support, as well as for that of his wife, Bettina.
“Obviously, I’ve been friends with her as long as she’s known Charlie,” he said. “And she’s just a great person—a mother trying to get by, you know, trying to fulfill her husband’s legacy. There’s obviously a lot of sadness in all of this. I think there’s a lot of frustration frankly, that this could’ve ever happened.”
Trump said he was concerned by testimony this week that revealed Utah Valley University had six of the department’s 11 officers on duty during Kirk’s event, adding that Erika Kirk wants accountability in the aftermath of his slaying.
“And anyone who has watched the news in the last decade or so would realize there’d be thousands of people on this campus, so I imagine there’s some frustration with that,” Trump said. “But I think [Erika Kirk] just wants justice. She’s doing an incredible job just holding it together given the circumstances and the sheer brutality of how this all happened, and frankly some of the sheer noise that has come after her and attacked her and the organization in all of that.”
After viewing the bulk of the evidence presented against Robinson thus far, Trump said he believes it’s “very clear” that Robinson will be found guilty in Kirk’s killing.
Trump said that the experience hasn’t been easy for him.
“I’m there to not only honor Charlie’s legacy, to support Erika, his parents who are there, seated all in the row with us,” he said. “It was just important to be there. It’s a legacy that really needs to be preserved. The impact that Charlie had on so many Americans, on so many youth, is frankly generational. It could’ve been so much more, but it was important to be there and to see the actual facts laid out.”
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Robinson, 23, who returned to court Wednesday for his ongoing preliminary hearing. He has yet to enter a plea.
Attorneys for Robinson have questioned the reliability of DNA tests that authorities allege link the Utah man to the rifle found wrapped in a towel after Kirk was shot.
Ahead of the crucial weeklong hearing, Erika Kirk said every court proceeding served as a “painful reminder” of her husband’s passing.
“We remain deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and kindness we have received,” Kirk posted on X on Monday. “This outpouring has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives. Out of respect for the judicial process, we will not be commenting further at this time. We ask for continued privacy as we navigate this process and immense grief.”
Kirk’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, attended Wednesday’s preliminary hearing. They exited the courtroom on Monday and Tuesday to avoid hearing explicit details about the shooting, along with Erika Kirk. Robinson’s parents, Matt and Amber Robinson, have also attended every day of the proceedings.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.