PROVO, Utah — The capital murder case against the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is in its early stages, but conspiracy theories about Kirk’s death are already shaping the court proceedings.
Utah prosecutors allege 22-year-old Tyler Robinson shot and killed the CEO of Turning Point USA at a September event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem — an assassination in broad daylight, witnessed by thousands in person and millions more online. The state says it has compelling evidence in its case against Robinson, including the murder weapon, DNA, bullet casings, security camera footage, text messages and other electronic communications. And, according to the state, Robinson has confessed.
But online, alternative theories and the ham-fisted investigations behind them have taken over. Conspiracist influencers, podcasters and gossip vloggers, armed with little credible evidence to support their claims, have flooded social platforms and fringe media channels with unfounded theories. They claim Robinson was a patsy, framed or possibly controlled by shadowy actors, including, Israel; the U.S. government; Turning Point USA; or even Kirk’s widow, Erika, who took over the organization after his death.
The theories are evolving week to week, as wannabe detectives online draw spurious connections between powerful groups and the flight logs of private planes, unverified reports from anonymous tipsters and video of Kirk’s killing and the aftermath, collected from dozens of angles, spliced and dissected to paint the picture of a coordinated plot.
Robinson’s trial is months away, but these alternative narratives are already seeping into the courtroom.
At a pretrial hearing Tuesday to determine whether state prosecutors should be removed from the case over an alleged conflict of interest, Robinson appeared in a lilac tie and shackles. A pair of conspiracist YouTubers sat on benches directly behind his parents, alongside members of the general public and a few dozen journalists, including this one.
Cross-examining a state agent about the scope of the investigation, defense attorney Kathy Nester asked whether investigators had looked into the alternative theories surrounding the shooting, including online videos claiming the existence of additional shooters.
“These videos have been used far and wide to look to see if there were potentially other shooters in the crowd,” Nester told Bureau of Investigation Agent Dave Hall. “Have you seen this on social media? Thousands of them?”
“Are you aware,” she continued, “that the videos taken from the scene have been analyzed by people on social media and in the press to see if there was somebody else that could have been involved in this?”
“I’m aware that everybody has a theory on the case,” Hall replied.
“Everybody has a theory on it, right?” Nester said. ”Whether those theories are good or bad, or whether your theory is good or bad … you guys should at least take a look at them. Fair?”
Her line of questioning suggests that these outside theories could play a significant role in the case going forward. They’ve already been invoked by multiple parties, at hearings and in pretrial motions, to sway Judge Tony Graf in one way or another. Robinson’s defense cited them as a reason to restrict public access to the proceedings, and by Erika Kirk — as well as lawyers representing a consortium of media — as a reason to make them more public.
The defense asked that video and still cameras be barred, claiming that biased media coverage could unfairly affect Robinson’s right to a fair trial. The state objected to the motion.
“Speculation and misinformation have already developed in the absence of full public access to courtroom proceedings,” prosecutors wrote. “When the public cannot observe testimony, rulings, and evidentiary context directly, narratives inevitably fill the vacuum.”
For months, Erika Kirk has been targeted by online mobs alleging her complicity in her husband’s killing — bizarre claims that Turning Point USA has countered with public denials and cease-and-desist letters. On Monday, Kirk invoked the conspiracy theories in her own court filing, asking Graf not to limit public access to the proceedings. “Public attention cannot be ignored,” Kirk wrote. Without access, she continued, the public won’t be able to see the evidence for themselves, and “in the absence of transparency, speculation, misinformation and conspiracy theories are likely to proliferate, eroding public confidence in the judicial process.” In court Tuesday, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray seemed to acknowledge that public speculation — if not the conspiratorial claims surrounding the case — had already influenced the case. He said from the witness stand that the state’s decision to seek the death penalty, announced just days after Kirk’s killing, had been driven in part by a desire to head off such gossip. Gray said earlier cases had taught him that delaying such decisions only created “unnecessary public speculation” and “unnecessary angst with families of victims.” “I wanted to shut that out,” Gray said. It seems clear, though, that the fevered speculation will continue. Conspiracist creators livestreamed Tuesday’s hearing, and within hours, had cut clips from the proceedings into fresh content for their eager audiences. One prominent creator on X called his latest video: “Patsy Plot Unravels.” A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May, when the state will present evidence and a judge will decide whether the case goes to trial. In the meantime, the conspiracy theories will keep spreading online, and may continue to affect the case.
Brandy Zadrozny is a senior enterprise reporter for MS NOW. She was a previously a senior enterprise reporter for NBC News, based in New York. Recommended
