Charlie Kirk murder suspect Tyler Robinson makes 1st in-person court appearance
Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears before Judge Tony Graf of the 4th District Court via a video confrerence call during a hearing on September 16, 2025 at the Fouth Judicial District Courthouse in Provo, Utah. (Scott G Winterton – Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is making his first in-person court appearance on Thursday.
Robinson wore a button-down shirt and a tie, following a judge’s ruling to allow him to wear civilian clothing during pretrial hearings.
Robinson’s parents and brother are in the courtroom for Thursday’s ongoing hearing, according to defense attorneys. The judge said he’s planning to address three issues on Thursday, the first of which is closed to the media.
Kirk was shot and killed in the middle of his outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. The 31-year-old was the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, and the Utah Valley event marked the first stop of his “The American Comeback Tour,” which invited students on college campuses to debate hot-button issues.
Robinson allegedly fled the scene of the shooting, prompting a massive manhunt. Robinson surrendered to authorities on the night of Sept. 11.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Robinson made two previous court appearances, but the first was virtual and the second was audio-only.
He has not entered a plea. He could face the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A judge ruled on Tuesday that a judgement could not be entered against blogger Milagro Cooper for the defamation count in a lawsuit filed by hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in October 2024.
Cooper was found liable for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and promotion of an altered sexual depiction by a Miami jury on Monday.
However, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga ruled that a media defendant “precludes judgement for Plaintiff on the defamation per se claim because it is uncontested that Plaintiff did not provide Defendant pre-suit notice,” according to the court’s final judgment obtained by ABC News on Tuesday.
In Florida, a media defendant must be served by the plaintiff with a legal notice at least five days before filing a defamation suit, according to court documents obtained by ABC News on Tuesday.
Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified during the trial in November that Cooper, who is known on social media as blogger Milagro Gramz, participated in a targeted and coordinated social media campaign to harass, intimidate and defame her.
Pete alleged Cooper was a “paid surrogate” for rapper Tory Lanez and spread lies on his behalf. Lanez was convicted of shooting and injuring Pete in a July 2020 incident.
(LOS ANGELES) — The judge decreased the damages Cooper owes Pete from $75,000 to $59,000, according to legal documents. Altonaga upheld the other two counts of intentional infliction of emotional distress and promotion of an altered sexual depiction.
“Cooper ultimately prevailed on Ms. Pete’s leading accusation, defamation, and the jury awarded a nominal amount of damages compared to millions of dollars Ms. Pete demanded from Ms. Cooper throughout the course of the litigation,” Cooper’s attorney said in a statement on Wednesday obtained by ABC News.
Pete’s attorneys said in a statement obtained by ABC News after the jury’s verdict on Monday that Cooper is also required to cover costs for the rapper’s legal bills.
“Request for costs and fees shall not be submitted until after any post-trial motions are decided or an appeal is concluded, whichever occurs later,” the judge stated in her final judgment.
ABC News has reached out to Pete’s attorneys, but requests for comments were not immediately returned.
The lawsuit alleges that Cooper spread lies about Pete to punish her and attempt to discredit her after she publicly named Lanez as her shooter.
“She’s created a space for a lot of people to come speak negatively about me,” Pete said in trial testimony last month of Cooper, referencing social media posts where the blogger attacked Pete’s character, casting her as a liar and mentally unstable.
Cooper, who took the stand earlier in November, testified that as a blogger, she discussed the shooting on her social media accounts without the influence of Tory Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson.
But Cooper did acknowledge that she spoke with Peterson and was hoping to have him as a guest on her channel. She also testified that she received payments from Peterson’s father, Sonstar Peterson, but claimed they were for “personal” reasons like her children’s birthdays and “promotional” work.
The jury was shown social media posts in which Cooper claimed that Pete was not shot.
When asked if she believed that Pete was shot, Cooper said, “I can’t say she lied about that because I wasn’t there,” but then Cooper said that she believed that Pete was not shot and had stepped on glass — a claim that Pete made in her initial statement to police.
Peterson is not named as a defendant in Pete’s defamation lawsuit but was asked to give a deposition ahead of the trial. ABC News has reached out to his attorneys, but requests for comment were not immediately returned.
Peterson, who chose not to take the witness stand during the 2022 trial, pleaded not guilty and his defense attorneys argued during the trial that he was not the shooter.
Peterson was sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole on Aug. 8, 2023, after he was convicted in December 2022 of felony assault for shooting and injuring Pete in both of her feet in an incident that occurred in the Hollywood Hills on July 12, 2020.
His legal team appealed his conviction, but it was upheld on Nov. 12 by a federal court in Los Angeles.
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this story said the judge dismissed the defamation charge. Under Florida law, a media defendant must be served by the plaintiff with a legal notice at least five days before filing a defamation suit so, in this case, that judgement could not be entered.
Footage newly obtained by ABC News appears to show the moment that the man suspected of opening fire at Brown University in December fled the Ivy League campus following the tragic incident. Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) — Body-worn camera footage from the chaotic scene on Dec. 13 at Brown University shows police clearing the Barus and Holley Building on campus following the deadly mass shooting on campus.
The heavily redacted footage, the police and fire reports, and 911 calls were released after numerous public records requests were made to the city in the days after the shooting.
The 20-minute video shows a police officer directing other officers to clear the building and telling people to get down. It also shows the moments just after the shooting, when police from the Providence Police Department and Rhode Island State Police rushed in.
“As of now, we have no idea who this person could be,” one officer says. They wouldn’t know until days later who the alleged shooter was.
The alleged killer, Claudio Neves Valente, opened fire on a study group at Brown’s engineering and physics building, killing two students and injuring nine others, before fatally shooting MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days later, authorities said.
Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage unit on Dec. 18, officials said.
Also in the new video released, authorities are searching the building when the call comes over the radio, “we have multiple victims.”
“Let’s get these rescues in,” the officer can be heard saying.
Ella Cook, of Alabama, a sophomore at Brown, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a U.S. dual citizen from Uzbekistan, who was in his first semester, were the two students killed during the shooting.
The police report mirrors the court records that were released after the suspect was found dead, but it also includes stark new details from when detectives showed the image of the shooter to two of the shooting victims.
“[Redacted] said she got a good look at the suspect. When provided with a photo of the suspect, [redacted] quickly froze, physically pushed back, and became emotional. She was observed to be tearing up and shaking. She then confirmed that the image showed the shooter,” the report said.
“Detectives then spoke with [redacted], who indicated that he was in close proximity to the shooter when he was shot. Detectives presented [redacted] with the same still image as [redacted] and a second close-up image of the suspect from the same camera source,” the report continued. “Upon observing these two photos, [redacted] took a deep breath, shut his eyes, changed his breathing pattern, and confirmed that the shooter he saw in the hallway appeared to be the person in the photos presented. Detectives met [redacted] with and presented him with the image of the suspect. [Redacted] also identified that the suspect in the images was the shooter.”
In another 911 call, an officer with the Brown University Police Department calls the Providence Police Department as chaos unfolds in the background.
“This is Brown University Police, we have confirmed gunshots at 184 Hope Street,” the officer says. In the background, you can hear a woman who is concerned about a victim reassuring them it’ll be OK.
(NEW YORK) — Traveling to your Thanksgiving destination may be smoother than heading home, with a cross-country storm possibly bringing rain and snow to parts of the Northeast and Midwest.
Here’s a look at the Thanksgiving week weather forecast:
Tuesday
A winter storm watch is in place for North Dakota and Minnesota, where 3 to 9 inches of snow may fall from Monday night through Wednesday morning. Wind gusts may reach 40 mph, causing blowing and drifting snow.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, rain will hit the Interstate 95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston, on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Wednesday
In the Northeast, a few passing showers are possible from Washington, D.C., to New York City on Wednesday morning.
In the Midwest, snow will start falling across much of Michigan on Wednesday.
Thursday
On Thanksgiving, the lake-effect snow machine will turn on and bring a blast of snow to the downwind side of the Great Lakes through Friday.
A winter storm watch is already in place for towns like Orchard Park, New York, just south of Buffalo, for Wednesday night through Friday.
More than 6 inches of snow is possible and wind gusts up to 45 mph could lead to whiteout conditions.
Friday
On Friday, a new storm system will begin moving cross-country from the Pacific Northwest.
The storm may bring snow on Friday to the Plains, from the Dakotas to northern Missouri.
Saturday
On Saturday, rain is possible from Missouri to Louisiana, while snow is possible from Illinois to Michigan, including Chicago and Detroit.
Sunday
By Sunday afternoon and evening, this system may bring rain to much of the East Coast.
Sunday is predicted to be the busiest air travel day for Thanksgiving.
