Elizabeth Smart, 38, has moved on to the next phase of her life with a strong new hobby: bodybuilding.
The former kidnapping victim who became an advocate for child safety and an ABC News correspondent said she never expected this would happen.
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXZszBVERgL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
&nbsp;
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div>
</div>
&nbsp;
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXZszBVERgL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Elizabeth Smart (@elizabeth_smart_official)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
“When I posted the pictures in my story of me standing on stage in a bikini it probably shocked many of you, and I understand the shock because had you asked me if I would ever compete in a bodybuilding show a couple of years ago I would have said, ‘absolutely not! Never in 100 years!’” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post shared Wednesday.
This message was accompanied by a photo of her competing at the Wasatch Warrior competition in Salt Lake City on Saturday. She took home first place in the Fit Model division, a category for entry-level female bodybuilders.
“This is actually the fourth competition I’ve done, but I was too afraid to post it before,” Smart revealed. “Worried that I would be judged, not taken seriously, somehow perceived as less than or now unworthy to continue work as an advocate for all survivors. Then this past weekend it struck me how eerily familiar these feelings and thoughts are for too many survivors.”
As for her reasons, Smart wrote that she didn&#8217;t want to “reach the end of my life and look back and feel regret for only living a half-life, not going after all the things I want to do and try.”
“This was a big change for me, it was hard, it pushed me, challenged me not to give up. I am so proud of myself for doing this. I am so proud of my body, and I want to celebrate it,” she wrote. “My body has carried me through every worst day, every hellish grueling experience, it’s created and nurtured three beautiful children, my body has risen to every single challenge life has presented it with, and carried me through so I refuse to be ashamed of it.”
Smart was taken from her Salt Lake home in 2002 when she was 14 years old. She was discovered by police 9 months later. Smart <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/elizabeth-smart-wins-top-honors-at-utah-bodybuilding-show">had been kidnapped</a> from her bedroom at knifepoint by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. Smart was raped daily by Mitchell as he hid her at campsites around Utah.
Mitchell was convicted and is serving a life sentence while Barzee was released in 2018. She was arrested again in 2025, however, after violating conditions of her sex offender status.
In the aftermath of the crime, Smart became an advocate for other victims of sexual assault by creating the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She has been married since 2012 and has three children.
There is a Netflix documentary about her ordeal called, “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.”

Elizabeth Smart

Recognize Her? The Girl Whose Kidnapping Gripped America Just Made A Shocking Pivot

General

Salt Lake City

Sports

U.S.

Utah

The FBI returned a 10-year-old Utah boy to his mother after he was kidnapped and taken to Cuba by his transgender-identifying father and his family feared the child would undergo transgender procedures, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. 
Authorities charged 42-year-old Inessa-Ethington, who goes by &#8220;Rose,&#8221; and 32-year-old &#8220;Blue&#8221; Inessa-Ethington with international parental kidnapping after the gender-confused boy was taken to Cuba. The boy has since been safely returned to his mother.
The child, a boy who identifies as a girl, split time with his divorced parents, who share custody in Cache County, Utah. The boy was supposed to go on a camping trip to Canada with his father — a man who identifies as a woman — and his partner, Blue, but instead ended up in Cuba, according to court documents. 
Family members told authorities they feared the boy&#8217;s father, Rose, intended to force his son to undergo transgender surgery abroad against the mother&#8217;s wishes. They feared the boy &#8220;was transported to Cuba for gender reassignment surgery prior to puberty,” according to a criminal complaint. 
The two kidnappers were <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/utah-10-year-old-reunited-biological-mother-after-transgender-parent-and-partner">deported</a> from Cuba on Monday, and the child was returned home safe to Utah. 
FBI Director Kash Patel told The Daily Wire the rescue was another example of the bureau protecting children. 
“Each and every day this FBI is stepping up to protect kids in America at levels never seen before — identifying and rescuing 6200 child victims just last year alone,” he said. “This case is no different. We are proud of our agents, Intel analysts, and partners who acted quickly and saved a young child from what could have been a horrific kidnapping. Let it be a message to any criminal actor who would try the same — this FBI will find you, no matter where you try to hide.”
Court documents say the group left Utah on March 28, 2026, telling the boy&#8217;s mother they were heading to Alberta, Canada.  The child later called and said they had arrived, but the group could not be reached afterward. 
On March 29, the group crossed into British Columbia at the Douglas Port of Entry, then flew to Mexico the same day before arriving in Havana, Cuba, on April 1, 2026, according to investigators. 
A search of the pair’s residence found a to-do list that included “learn Spanish,” along with travel plans, an intent to withdraw $10,000 in cash, and indications they planned to empty a bank account, according to the FBI. 
“Recovered notes include instruction from a mental health therapist located in Washington D.C. including instruction to send the therapist the $10,000.00 and instructions on gender affirming medical care for children,” the criminal complaint says. 
On April 13, a Utah judge granted the boy&#8217;s mother full custody of the boy and ordered him returned to her. Rose and Blue were located by Cuban authorities on April 16, according to the Justice Department. 
Lawyers for the defendants have not been identified. They appeared in court for an arraignment in Virginia and will be transferred to Utah for further proceedings.

Patel_Child_Handcuffs

FBI Spoils Trans Father’s Plan To Transition Son In Cuba

Cuba

kash patel

Transgender

The university where Charlie Kirk was assassinated will not have a commencement speaker this year after facing backlash for choosing an author who criticized the popular conservative commentator shortly after his death. 
Utah Valley University said Thursday it would proceed without a commencement speaker due to “safety concerns.” The decision follows <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-where-charlie-kirk-was-assassinated-taps-speaker-tied-to-sick-posts">criticism</a> over its selection of the so-called “non-partisan” author Sharon McMahon, who had previously called Kirk’s message harmful.
“Due to increased safety concerns related to the speaker and in consultation with public safety professionals and Sharon McMahon, Utah Valley University has decided to proceed without a featured commencement speaker for this year’s ceremony,” the university said in a statement. 
McMahon, who describes herself as “America’s government teacher,” posted a series of out-of-context quotes from Kirk after his death to explain why “there is so much backlash to posts eulogizing his death,” claiming that Kirk “was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses” if you were black or Muslim.
Local outlets have <a href="https://kutv.com/news/local/backlash-at-uvu-follows-selection-of-speaker-tied-to-posts-about-charlie-kirk">reported</a> on the posts, which have since been deleted from social media. 
“It’s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words and the ensuing actions his followers took,” McMahon wrote, according to a local CBS affiliate. 
The selection of McMahon as a speaker garnered criticism from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and the university’s Turning Point USA chapter. 
“Hours immediately after Charlie’s assassination, Sharon McMahon posted a now-deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy, rather than offering condolences or condemning political violence,” chapter president Caleb Chilcutt said.
“There are countless better alternatives, and the fact that the university is choosing McMahon is entirely disappointing to all of us still reeling from his loss. I couldn’t be more disappointed in this university for such a hurtful and callous decision,” he added.
Last week, the university <a href="https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/04/08/uvu-commencement-speaker-sharon-mcmahon-controversy-charlie-kirk-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Deseret News that McMahon’s selection had been “overwhelmingly positive” and “well received.”

Political Activist Charlie Kirk Shot Dead At Utah Valley University

University Where Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated Axes Speaker After Posts Ignite Backlash

Charlie Kirk

Turning Point USA

The speaker chosen to deliver the commencement address at the university where Charlie Kirk was assassinated posted about the “harm” of his words shortly after he was killed. 
Backlash is building after Utah Valley University <a href="https://www.uvu.edu/news/2025/sharon-mcmahon-2026-commencement-speaker.html">announced</a> last month that the supposedly “non-partisan” author Sharon McMahon would be speaking at graduation this year, drawing criticism from conservative students over her social media posts after Kirk’s death. Kirk was gunned down on September 10, 2025, while holding one of his popular campus events at the university in Orem, Utah. 
McMahon, who dubs herself “America’s Government Teacher,” is an educator who frequently focuses her criticism on the Trump administration and conservatives. Shortly after Kirk&#8217;s assassination, McMahon posted a series of out-of-context quotes from Kirk to explain why “there is so much backlash to posts eulogizing his death,” claiming that Kirk “was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses” if you were black or Muslim. 
Local outlets have <a href="https://kutv.com/news/local/backlash-at-uvu-follows-selection-of-speaker-tied-to-posts-about-charlie-kirk">reported</a> on the posts, which have since been deleted from social media. 
“It’s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words and the ensuing actions his followers took,” McMahon wrote, according to a local CBS affiliate. 
After the university announced that McMahon would be speaking, the Turning Point USA chapter at Utah Valley University <a href="https://x.com/TPUSAatUVU/status/2042340596761997695">released</a> a statement calling the move disappointing. 
“Hours immediately after Charlie’s assassination, Sharon McMahon posted a now deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy, rather than offering condolences or condemning political violence,” chapter president Caleb Chilcutt said.
“There are countless better alternatives, and the fact that the university is choosing McMahon is entirely disappointing to all of us still reeling from his loss. I couldn’t be more disappointed in this university for such a hurtful and callous decision,” he added. 
Utah Senator Mike Lee weighed in on the issue, <a href="https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/2042774342396973415">writing</a> on X, “Who else thinks UVU should find another commencement speaker?”
The university did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire, but previously <a href="https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/04/08/uvu-commencement-speaker-sharon-mcmahon-controversy-charlie-kirk-comments/">told</a> Deseret News that McMahon’s selection was “overwhelmingly positive” and “well received.”

University Where Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated Taps Speaker Tied To Sick Posts

Mike Lee

More than 50 years after 17-year-old Laura Ann Aime first disappeared, DNA evidence confirmed that she died at the hands of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy.
&#8220;This case is now officially closed,&#8221; Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith announced on Wednesday, detailing during a news conference the process by which his department had been able to connect Bundy to the case.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eT9GeOM67OY?si=8pfmniJYYKIWcAnq" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Aime <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/04/01/ted-bundy-killed-utah-teen-laura/">disappeared</a> on Halloween night in 1974, and her body was discovered in American Fork Canyon, near the Timpanogos Cave Visitor Center, about one month later — and police initially thought they were looking at the body of a different missing teen. Debra Kent, also 17, had gone missing in Bountiful on November 8. The body of 17-year-old Melissa Smith, whose father was the Midvale police chief, was discovered just weeks earlier.
The attempted kidnapping of a 19-year-old woman eventually led to Bundy&#8217;s arrest in 1975, but he could not be directly tied to Aime&#8217;s murder. While DNA evidence was recovered at the scene, the technology was not yet available that would have allowed investigators to separate mixed profiles in order to make an identification.
Bundy was never charged with Aime&#8217;s murder, but her family — and local authorities — believed that he was the most likely suspect. The notorious serial killer himself named Aime, and Kent, as well as his victims, in a confession prior to his 1989 execution in Florida — but no one was able to tie him directly to the physical evidence until recently.
Sheriff Smith cited &#8220;new forensic techniques&#8221; that allowed commingled DNA samples to be separated into individual profiles — techniques that Utah&#8217;s state crime lab was not able to make use of until 2023.
Once a male DNA profile was extracted from the sample in Aime&#8217;s case, it was entered into a database that included samples from all around the country. A hit on the profile in Florida led investigators to collaborate with the crime lab there, and together they connected the profile to Bundy.
In the state of Utah alone, Bundy is believed to have murdered at least five women — and as many as eight. He moved to Salt Lake City in 1974 to attend University of Utah&#8217;s law school, but prior to his arrival there, he had already killed at least nine women in the Pacific Northwest.

Close Up Portrait of Ted Bundy Waving

Five Decades After Her Murder, Evidence Now Points To Notorious Serial Killer

Five Decades After Her Murder, DNA Links Slain Teen To Notorious Serial Killer

Crime

Murder

Serial Killers

Violent Crime

Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, have revealed several witnesses expected to testify for the prosecution ahead of his upcoming trial.
According to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alleged-charlie-kirk-assassins-defense-team-reveals-who-will-called-testify-court-docs">Fox News</a>, Robinson&#8217;s parents and his romantic transgender-identifying partner, Lance Twiggs, who was seen in a widely circulated <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/09/25/us-news/alleged-charlie-kirk-shooter-tyler-robinsons-trans-lover-lance-twiggs-was-gifted-straight-a-student/">image</a> wearing an outfit common in the furry subculture, are among those listed as potential witnesses.
The case stems from the September 10, 2025, shooting of Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem.
According to the court documents filed Friday, Robinson&#8217;s defense team said federal investigators have not definitively linked the bullet recovered during Kirk&#8217;s autopsy to the rifle allegedly used in the fatal shooting. The defense said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was unable to make a match, and additional analysis by the FBI is ongoing.
Forensic experts noted that bullet fragmentation — which the ATF report, cited by the defense, suggests occurred in this case — frequently makes it difficult or impossible to definitively match a bullet to a specific weapon. The defense is seeking to delay the preliminary hearing by at least six months, arguing it has not had sufficient time to review the evidence.
&#8220;Until the defense receives the case files and protocols relating to these analyses, and has them independently evaluated by its expert, they will not be in a position to assess the reliability of this evidence if either the State or the defense decides to proffer it,&#8221; the document stated.
Defense lawyers also said they have received more than 600,000 files from prosecutors, including a hard drive containing 31 hours of audio and roughly 700 hours of video.
&#8220;Discovery in this case is incomplete, voluminous, and the processing of it is complex,&#8221; the document stated.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Robinson, 22, who has not yet entered a plea.
The next hearing is scheduled for April 17 for a defense motion to ban cameras from the courtroom. Kirk&#8217;s widow, Erika, has opposed that request.
&#8220;There have been cameras all over my friends and family mourning,&#8221; Erika said during an interview with Fox News. &#8220;There have been cameras all over me, analyzing my every move. Analyzing my every smile. My every tear.&#8221;
According to Fox News, the defense plans to argue at the hearing that media coverage has compromised the case.

Credit: Trent Nelson-Pool/Getty Images

Tyler Robinson’s Family, ‘Furry Trans’ Lover To Testify For Prosecution In Charlie Kirk Murder Trial

News

Tyler Robinson

The founder of the popular bathroom product “Squatty Potty” has been arrested and charged with allegedly buying child pornography.
Robert Edwards, 50, was charged with receipt of child pornography and pleaded not guilty in his initial appearance on February 12. 
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that Edwards &#8220;knowingly received multiple images of child sexual abuse material&#8221; on multiple occasions between March 2021 and November 2025. An undercover FBI agent alleged that Edwards was a user in a group chat and &#8220;was viewing a collection of child sexual abuse material videos&#8221; in March 2021, per <a href="https://ew.com/squatty-potty-creator-featured-on-shark-tank-arrested-on-child-porn-charge-11914641">Entertainment Weekly</a>.
&#8220;Edwards was suspected of purchasing additional child sexual abuse material via his PayPal account&#8221; in May 2025, the filings state, and noted that officers allegedly discovered &#8220;multiple videos and images&#8221; of child pornography on a cell phone found in his car and on other personal devices in his home.
His detention hearing is scheduled for March 2
Edwards began selling his invention, Squatty Potty, a footstool that helps users with bowel movements, in 2011. He went viral with his invention after appearing alongside his mother on “Shark Tank” in 2014. The entrepreneur received an investment from Lori Greiner.
Barbara Corcoran, meanwhile, told Edwards, “There’s something about you that I’m not believing. I trust your mom … but you’re hopping and weaving a lot. And it&#8217;s making me more nervous as I listen. I’m definitely out.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: ‘Squatty Potty’ creator Robert Edwards, who was on Shark Tank, arrested in Utah for child p*rn.
Edwards is &#8220;partnered&#8221; to a man and is a &#8220;co-parent&#8221; to four children, according to his profile on Southern Utah Cares.
During his appearance on Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran… <a href="https://t.co/gfEfazYmWx">pic.twitter.com/gfEfazYmWx</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2026713571145736679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The bathroom aid became a massive hit. Edwards and his mother returned to “Shark Tank” in 2020 and said they had made $175 million from the product since they first appeared on the show. They sold Squatty Potty to consumer product company Aterian in 2021, the outlet noted.
The company released a statement in the wake of the scandal.
&#8220;Aterian has no affiliation, partnership, or ongoing relationship with Mr. Robert Edwards. Edwards was part of a group, including private equity firms, that sold specific assets to Aterian in a one-time transaction in 2021,&#8221; it said. &#8220;Following the completion of that acquisition, all associations with Edwards and his family ceased. He is not an employee, a partner, or a stakeholder in our company.  Any claims to the contrary are categorically false.&#8221;
&#8220;We are deeply disturbed by the indictment against Edwards. The nature of these allegations is abhorrent and wholly inconsistent with our company’s values. While the family was previously referenced on our website in a historical context, we have removed those references. They have no role in our brand’s present or future,&#8221; the statement concluded.

Robert Edwards

Squatty Potty Inventor Charged With Possession Of Child Pornography

Child pornography

Television

A Utah judge dismissed an attempt by Tyler Robinson&#8217;s defense team to have the prosecution disqualified on Tuesday, dealing yet another blow to the attorneys defending the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk. 
Robinson’s attorneys argued that the prosecutors should be recused after discovering that a daughter of one of the prosecutors was present at Kirk’s event when the Turning Point USA founder was assassinated on September 10, 2025. State District Judge Tony Graf said the prosecutors can remain on the case as the daughter&#8217;s presence at the event “did not materially influence” the prosecutor&#8217;s actions in the case.
Robinson appeared virtually for Tuesday&#8217;s hearing. He has been charged with aggravated murder, which makes him eligible for the death penalty under state law. 
Judge Graf’s decision on Tuesday keeps Robinson’s trial on track as prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. Robinson has not yet entered a plea. Robinson’s defense team argued that there was a conflict of interest for the prosecution, since the daughter of deputy county attorney Chad Grunander was in attendance at Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University last September. 
The prosecution <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/charlie-kirks-suspected-assassin-fights-death-penalty-says-trump-influenced-prosecutor">pushed back</a> on the defense team’s claim, saying there is no conflict of interest with Grunander’s daughter and that she did not have a direct line of sight to the shooter. Grunander’s daughter also testified in court and said she did not realize Kirk had been shot until after she ran to safety, the Associated Press reported. 
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey S. Gray said in a filing, “Under these circumstances, there is virtually no risk, let alone a significant risk, that it would arouse such emotions in any father-prosecutor as to render him unable to fairly prosecute the case.” 
Graf agreed and said on Tuesday that the daughter had “no unique, relevant information” about the assassination of Kirk that would potentially put her on the witness stand.
Robinson’s attorneys also claimed earlier this month that the prosecution’s quick decision to seek the death penalty was influenced by President Donald Trump, who said shortly after Kirk’s assassination that he hoped the killer would get the death penalty. Gray said that he wanted to decide on pursuing the death penalty quickly to avoid media speculation. 
“The longer you delay that decision … the more delay, then it just creates all this unnecessary speculation and everything else,” Gray said, adding that he did it to prevent “unnecessary angst with the families of victims … so Erika Kirk didn’t have to deal with that uncertainty.”
Judge Graf’s decision comes hours before President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address to Congress, with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/erika-kirk-to-attend-state-of-the-union-as-president-trumps-guest?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=Exclusive&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Erika+Kirk+To+Be+Trump%E2%80%99s+Special+Guest+At+State+Of+The+Union">Erika Kirk in attendance</a> as one of his special guests. Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan reported earlier on Tuesday that Trump will mention both Erika Kirk and her late husband during his speech.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation’s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
The decision marks yet another loss for Robinson&#8217;s defense team. Late last year, Graf said that cameras would be allowed in the courtroom for the trial, dismissing the defense team&#8217;s claim that the media&#8217;s courtroom access could result in an unfair trial for Robinson.

Judge Rejects Bid To Oust Prosecutors From Charlie Kirk Assassination Case

Judge Dismisses Defense Effort To Remove Prosecutors From Charlie Kirk Assassination Case

assassination

Court

Erika Kirk

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a 28-year-old illegal alien woman convicted of sex crimes against a teenage boy on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.
ICE agents nabbed Michelle Rodriguez-Berrio, an illegal alien from Colombia, convicted in Utah for sexual contact with a 16- or 17-year-old boy. Rodriguez-Berrio was let into the country under former President Joe Biden in 2022, a DHS spokesman told The Daily Wire.
“In February 2022, this sexual predator alien illegally entered the U.S. and was encountered by Border Patrol. She was released into the U.S. by the Biden administration,” the spokesman said. “On January 26, 2026, Rodriguez was convicted by the Salt Lake City County District Court for the offense of Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old. Thanks to ICE, she is now off American streets and will remain in custody pending removal.”
Rodriguez-Berrio was one of the “worst of the worst” illegal alien offenders detained by ICE agents on Thursday. Others highlighted by DHS to The Daily Wire included:
<blockquote>-Rene Lopez-Balbuena, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and sexual assault of a child in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
-Luis Elias-Santos, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of second-degree statutory rape in Boone County, Missouri.
-Jeovanny Porras-Rodriguez, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of trafficking in meth in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
-Leonardo Garcia-Meza, an illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Collin County, Texas.</blockquote>
<div id="attachment_1047515" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1047515" class="size-full wp-image-1047515" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1440" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-41-PM-4224-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Elias-Santos/Porras-Rodriguez: DHS.</div>
“Even while facing doxing, threats, harassment and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them, ICE continues to go after criminal illegal aliens, including pedophiles, violent sex criminals and drug traffickers,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. “Nearly 70% of all ICE arrests are of illegal aliens convicted or charged of a crime in the U.S. If you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
Millions of illegal aliens were released into the United States during the Biden administration, many of whom went on to commit crimes, including Jose Antonio Ibarra, the Venezuelan national who murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley.

MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-02-36-PM-7544

Illegal Alien Convicted Of Sex Crime Against Teen Entered U.S. Under Biden

Biden Administration

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The sun beat down on 3,000 eager attendees as Hunter Kozak approached the microphone at the bottom of the amphitheater to talk to Charlie Kirk. He seemed a little nervous, but cheerful, and prepared with his question.
It was September 10, 2025. From under his white tent across the stadium, Kirk leaned forward and greeted Kozak, a Utah Valley University student and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@hunterekozak">liberal TikTok commentator</a>. &#8220;Hey Charlie,&#8221; said Kozak, according to footage taken by his wife and shared with The Daily Wire, telling the Turning Point USA founder that he was hoping &#8220;to have a little more disagreement&#8221; than those who asked questions before him.
He then launched into his question: &#8220;A few weeks ago there was a transgender mass shooter, and ever since then, about three weeks later, the Trump DOJ said that we should start talking about revoking gun rights for transgender Americans.&#8221; 
The crowd of students erupted into cheers. Six days earlier The Daily Wire had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-doj-considering-gun-ban-for-transgenders">reported</a> that the administration was &#8220;actively considering&#8221; ways to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals suffering gender dysphoria. 
&#8220;I think you&#8217;re in support of this decision, yes?&#8221; Kozak questioned Kirk. &#8220;Is that fair to say? All right, great. So, do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?&#8221; 
&#8220;Too many,&#8221; responded the 31-year-old TPUSA founder. It was only two weeks after the Annunciation school shooting, in which a trans-identifying killer had killed two children and injured many others when he opened fire on a Catholic school mass.
Kozak&#8217;s initial response to Kirk was drowned out by the cheering and clapping of the crowd. Then the UVU student can be heard saying, &#8220;It&#8217;s five. Ok, now five is a lot, right? I&#8217;m going to give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?&#8221; 
&#8220;Counting or not counting gang violence?&#8221; asked Kirk.
&#8220;Great,&#8221; began Kozak, ready with a retort based on his own analysis of gun violence and trans-identifying shooters. But his response never left his mouth. 
At that very moment a shot rang out. Kirk&#8217;s assassin had fired at 12:23 p.m. mountain time, hitting the TPUSA founder in the neck. By 2:40 p.m. local time, President Donald Trump had announced that Kirk was dead.
Kirk&#8217;s last conversation on earth centered on a topic that he had discussed at length, particularly throughout the end of August and beginning of September: the disturbing rise in transgender violence. Kirk was unapologetic about his stance, that trans-identifying individuals were targeting Christians, and, given their gender confusion, they were too mentally unwell to own firearms.
&#8220;If you are crazy enough to want to hormonally and surgically &#8216;change your sex,&#8217; you have a mental disorder, and you are too crazy to own a firearm,&#8221; he posted on &#8220;X&#8221; on August 27, 2025, the day that the trans-identifying shooter, Robert Westman, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-trans-identifying-gunman-who-slaughtered-catholic-school-children">killed Catholic school children</a> before taking his own life.
&#8220;First Nashville, now this,&#8221; Kirk asked the same day, referring to the trans-shooter who targeted children at Covenant Christian School. &#8220;How many times makes a trend?&#8221;
Westman’s attack came just two years after another that trans-identifying killer targeted Christian school children in Nashville. Leaders of Catholic and independent schools in Minnesota had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minnesota-catholic-school-leader-warned-tim-walz-of-urgent-and-critical-need-to-secure-schools?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Minnesota+Catholic+School+Leader+Warned+Tim+Walz+Of+%E2%80%98Critical%E2%80%99+School+Safety+Threats.+He+Did+Nothing." target="_blank" rel="noopener">begged Governor Tim Walz</a> to help prevent similar shootings, fearing that the next shooter would target one of their schools. That security funding was never authorized, a fact which became painfully evident after the Minneapolis shooting in late August.
Now five months later, the world is reeling from another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/youtube-confirms-trans-themed-page-is-linked-to-canada-mass-shooting-suspect?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Canada+School+Attacker+Was+Trans+Identifying+Man%2C+Police+Confirm">transgender-identifying attacker</a>, this time in Canada. The shooter, a man who believed he was a woman and wore a dress, opened fire on a rural school in British Columbia, killing ten and injuring dozens. It is yet another example of transgender violence, but the pressing issue that Kirk was opining on regularly now seems to have fallen out of consideration.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-last-questions-charlie-kirk-answered-were-about-a-trans-gun-ban-that-initiative-is-stalled/screenshot-2026-02-12-at-1-16-06-pm" rel="attachment wp-att-1043131"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1043131 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2026-02-12-at-1.16.06-PM-1024x339.png" alt="" width="1024" height="339" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2026-02-12-at-1.16.06-PM-1024x339.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2026-02-12-at-1.16.06-PM-300x99.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2026-02-12-at-1.16.06-PM-768x254.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2026-02-12-at-1.16.06-PM.png 1070w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
It was after the Minneapolis shooting that the Department of Justice was deliberating how to respond to this rise in transgender violence. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-doj-considering-gun-ban-for-transgenders">broke the news</a> on September 4 that the DOJ was considering blocking trans-identifying people from buying firearms, reviewing ways to ensure that mentally ill individuals suffering from gender dysphoria are unable to obtain firearms while they are unstable and unwell,&#8221; according to one source.
The DOJ’s discussions centered on the acknowledgement that those who identify as transgender suffer from gender dysphoria, a mental disorder, which describes the sense of unease that a man or woman may feel if he or she thinks that their biological sex is mismatched with their so-called gender identity.
“Democrats have called for common sense gun laws for a long time,” one DOJ source told The Daily Wire in September. “This seems pretty common sense to me.”
The news sparked massive debate from both the Left and the Right, with many raising Second Amendment concerns about such a proposal.
Then, on September 10, a gunman identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson was charged with shooting Kirk in the neck. Robinson lived with his &#8220;transgender partner,&#8221; a male named Lance Twiggs who is attempting to transition to a transgender female. Twiggs had vanished from the public view for months but was <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15542527/lance-twiggs-trans-lover-Charlie-Kirks-accused-assassin-resurfaces.html">just this week spotted living quietly in Texas</a> as the investigation plays out.
While it is known that Robinson deeply disagreed with Kirk&#8217;s political views, it remains unclear whether Robinson specifically targeted Kirk for his views on transgenderism. The FBI&#8217;s investigation into the murder is ongoing.
But the fact remains that Robinson fired at Kirk as the TPUSA founder was addressing transgender violence.
A review by the Daily Wire found a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-were-naming-the-minneapolis-shooter?author=Brent+Scher&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Why+We%E2%80%99re+Naming+The+Minneapolis+Shooter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">steady stream of transgender-related violence</a> over the past decade. And given this rise, many conservatives on the right were calling for closer examination of transgender violence at the time of Kirk&#8217;s death. Some wanted action, furious that officials like Walz had not taken the situation more seriously. Walz instead signed legislation establishing Minnesota as a “trans refuge,” promising to “protect those seeking gender-affirming care.”
Kirk&#8217;s death had stunned the world. He was a personal friend of many members of President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration, including the leadership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice. Many members of the president&#8217;s cabinet and wider administration traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to commemorate Kirk with his wife and the Turning Point USA team at a massive memorial in Kirk&#8217;s honor.
<div id="attachment_1043335" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-last-questions-charlie-kirk-answered-were-about-a-trans-gun-ban-that-initiative-is-stalled/memorial-service-held-for-slain-conservative-activist-charlie-kirk-at-state-farm-stadium-7" rel="attachment wp-att-1043335"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043335" class="wp-image-1043335 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2236636785-1-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" data-wp-editing="1" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2236636785-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2236636785-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2236636785-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2236636785-1.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Erika Kirk joins U.S. President Donald Trump onstage during the memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
Five months after the shooting, it is not clear whether the DOJ discussions on banning guns for trans-identifying individuals have moved forward. The DOJ did not immediately comment on the matter to The Daily Wire. A source familiar with the Trump administration&#8217;s thinking said that the topic is not something that they have heard discussed since the Daily Wire&#8217;s original reporting in September.
Reached for comment on the matter, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Friday that the administration is committed to &#8220;investigating, disrupting, dismantling, and prosecuting individuals and entities engaged in organized political violence and domestic terrorism.&#8221;
Jackson slammed left-wing organizations for fueling violent riots, organizing attacks on law enforcement officers, coordinating illegal doxing campaigns, arranging &#8220;drop points for weapons and riot materials, and more,&#8221; promising that the Trump administration will &#8220;get to the bottom of this vast network inciting violence in American communities, and the President’s executive actions to address left-wing violence will put an end to any illegal activities.&#8221;
Her statement did not directly address transgender violence or the proposed gun-ban, referencing the broader &#8220;domestic terrorism&#8221; at play in the United States. Yet there are a number of indicators that the administration is taking transgender violence seriously.
Aboard Air Force One on his way back from Kirk&#8217;s memorial, Trump told The Daily Wire that his administration was “very strongly” examining the string of transgender violence throughout the United States.
“You know, we’re looking at that,” the president said gravely, asking, “What’s the reason for it?”
“Yeah, there seems to be something,” he reflected. “But we’re looking at it very strongly. Something seems to be going on.”
Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for counterterrorism, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/calls-to-investigate-trans-domestic-terrorism-escalate-after-devastating-school-shooting?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Calls+To+Investigate+Trans+Domestic+Terrorism+Escalate+After+Devastating+School+Shooting">told The Daily Wire</a> in early September, before the assassination, that his draft U.S. Counterterrorism plan addresses transgender violence, asked whether there should be a transgender domestic terrorism label such as “Transgender Ideology-Inspired Violence and Extremism” (TIVE) (a classification <a href="https://glaad.org/understanding-anti-trans-tropes-transgender-ideology-inspired-violence-and-extremism/">suggested by The Oversight Project)</a>.
Trump advisor Stephen Miller and Vice President JD Vance, in interviews that took place shortly after Kirk&#8217;s death, vowed to dismantle the domestic terrorism movement within the United States.
&#8220;With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and throughout this government, to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and destroy these networks, and make America safe again for the American people,&#8221; said Miller. Vance similarly stressed: &#8220;We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism that has grown up over the last few years, and I believe, is part of the reason why Charlie was killed by an assassin’s bullet.&#8221;
In December, Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://charityandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Bondi_Memo_On_Countering_Domestic_Terrorism_And_Organized_Political_Violence-1.pdf">issued a memo</a> to all federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies that including &#8220;radical gender ideology&#8221; in a list of domestic terrorism threats.
&#8220;For too long,&#8221; her memo said, &#8220;rampant criminal conduct rising to the level of domestic terrorism—e.g., organized doxing of law enforcement, mass rioting and destruction in our cities, violent efforts to shut down immigration enforcement, targeting of public officials or other political actors, etc.—has been tolerated.&#8221;
&#8220;For some culpable actors, such as certain Antifa-aligned extremists, their animating principle is adherence to the types of extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment listed below, with a willingness to use violence against law-abiding citizenry to serve those beliefs,&#8221; that memo continued. &#8220;Federal law enforcement will prioritize this threat.&#8221;
Where federal agents encounter crime, they will act, Bondi wrote. And where they encounter or suspect domestic terrorism, law enforcement will refer these matters to the Joint Terrorism Task Forces.

The Last Questions Charlie Kirk Answered Were About A Trans Gun Ban. That Initiative Is Stalled.

Tyler Robinson&#8217;s defense team suggested during a Tuesday hearing that the Utah County Attorney&#8217;s Office had only moved to seek the death penalty because it was clear that was what President Donald Trump wanted.
Richard Novak, an attorney for Robinson (who is accused of assassinating the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk), questioned Utah County Attorney Jeffrey S. Gray during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZukNzYKgcYM">pre-trial hearing</a> aimed at having Gray&#8217;s office removed from the case due to a perceived conflict of interest.
At issue was Gray&#8217;s decision to seek the death penalty — and the fact that he announced his plan to do so early in the investigation — a move that Novak attributed to &#8220;strong emotional reactions&#8221; within the prosecutor&#8217;s office.
Novak raised several issues that he argued could have driven such an emotional response from the prosecution: the fact that Gray had campaigned on a promise to seek the death penalty in cases he deemed &#8220;appropriate,&#8221; the fact that the adult child of a prosecutor in Gray&#8217;s office had been present at the time of Kirk&#8217;s assassination, and the knowledge that President Trump had already declared his wish to see Kirk&#8217;s killer face the death penalty.
Gray, under questioning from Novak, said that he&#8217;d become aware at some point that a prosecutor in his office had an adult child who had witnessed the shooting, but that they had not discussed it and it had not been a factor in his decision-making process.
Gray also said in a previous filing that the adult child in question had returned to classes after the shooting and had not experienced lasting trauma outside of being scared in the moment.
&#8220;Under these circumstances, there is virtually no risk, let alone a significant risk, that it would arouse such emotions in any father-prosecutor as to render him unable to fairly prosecute the case,&#8221; Gray said in the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/defendant-in-charlie-kirks-killing-asks-judge-to-disqualify-prosecution-team">filing</a>, arguing that the defense&#8217;s claims were rooted in a desire to delay proceedings rather than to pursue justice.
When Novak asked whether Gray had been aware that Trump had posted about the suspect, &#8220;I hope he gets the death penalty,&#8221; Gray said he knew the president had said that, but that he had not taken Trump&#8217;s social media posts into consideration when determining whether or not to seek capital punishment.
Novak also raised the question of campaign promises, and, noting that Gray had run on a promise to seek the death penalty, wondered whether he&#8217;d simply been in a hurry to check that off his to-do list.
Gray corrected Novak then, saying that he&#8217;d promised to seek the death penalty in cases where it was appropriate to do so — and that both he and Governor Spencer Cox (R) had determined it was appropriate in this case regardless of promises he&#8217;d made during his 2022 campaign.
When given a chance to explain why he&#8217;d announced the decision to seek the death penalty as early as he did — noting that he had until arraignment to do so — Gray said that his goal had been to limit speculation from social media and the press and to lessen the anxiety felt by the victims, specifically, Charlie&#8217;s widow Erika Kirk.
&#8220;The longer you delay that decision … the more delay, then it just creates all this unnecessary speculation and everything else,&#8221; Gray said, adding that he did it to prevent &#8220;unnecessary angst with the families of victims … so Erika Kirk didn’t have to deal with that uncertainty.&#8221;
The defense also petitioned the court to bar all video recordings and still photography in the courtroom during the trial.

Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Tyler Robinson Attends Court Hearing

Charlie Kirk’s Suspected Assassin Fights Death Penalty, Says Trump Influenced Prosecutor

Courts

Death Penalty

Donald Trump

Media

A judge sentenced a man to prison on Thursday for falsely claiming to have shot Charlie Kirk moments after the conservative activist was assassinated.
George Zinn, 71, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty on three counts: one third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice and two second-degree felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/01/29/man-who-falsely-claimed-he-shot/">The Salt Lake Tribune</a>.
Zinn will serve his sentences for all charges concurrently, with the longest term for the sexual exploitation charges – one to 15 years. A parole board will ultimately decide how long Zinn will serve in prison.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during a college event in Utah on September 10. In the chaos immediately following the shot that killed Kirk, Zinn falsely claimed to have shot the conservative commentator. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said Zinn began to yell, “I shot him, now shoot me,” according to <a href="https://www.abc4.com/news/charlie-kirk-shooting/george-zinn-charlie-kirk-assassination-pleads-guilty-obstruction-justice-sexual-exploitation/">ABC4</a>.
As Zinn continued to claim he shot Kirk, law enforcement asked Zinn for the murder weapon. Zinn responded: “I am not going to tell you where [the gun] is. I shot him, now shoot me.”
Zinn was immediately detained and searched. Law enforcement found child sexual abuse materials on his phone during the search.
The 71-year-old said in a statement before the court on Thursday that the material on his phone was from a “chatroom dialogue with photos that are public access.”
“I wish the court to know I am not and will never be a danger to children or their parents,” said Zinn.
Zinn’s outburst on September 10 distracted law enforcement in the critical moments after the shooting as they were attempting to track down the killer. Law enforcement later determined that Zinn was not the shooter and, late the next day, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-the-latest-in-the-charlie-kirk-assassination-trial">arrested</a> Tyler Robinson. Robinson has been charged with seven counts related to Kirk’s murder and may face the death penalty if found guilty.
Robinson&#8217;s legal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-the-latest-in-the-charlie-kirk-assassination-trial">process</a> is ongoing, and his defense team recently claimed that the Utah County Attorney’s Office has a conflict of interest in the case due to a Utah County prosecutor&#8217;s daughter being present at Utah Valley University when the assassination took place.
The prosecution says the family member saw nothing direct and a conflict of interest has not been established. They&#8217;ve also accused the defense of stall tactics.
Judge Tony Graf said that there&#8217;s not sufficient evidence yet to warrant the expulsion of the office, but has allowed Robinson&#8217;s team to begin examining witnesses in relation to the supposed conflict of interest.
Additionally, Judge Graf <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/accused-charlie-kirk-shooter-prosecution-removed/">blocked</a> a pool video camera from showing Robinson after his defense team complained that shots of the accused speaking with his legal team could potentially be seen by lip readers and unfairly impact the trial.
Amanda Prestigiacomo contributed to this story.

Man Who Falsely Claimed To Have Killed Charlie Kirk Sentenced To Prison

Menu