Does Charlie Kirk bullet match rifle? Defence lawyers seek trial delay
· Toronto Sun
Does the bullet match? Defence lawyers say maybe not.
Lawyers defending the man accused of fatally shooting conservative pundit Charlie Kirk last September want to delay the trial by a minimum of six months to review DNA evidence on the weapon allegedly used to kill him, NBC reported .
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Attorneys for Tyler Robinson have asked Utah judge Tony Graf to delay a preliminary hearing in May, saying they need more time to analyze the evidence that could make a major contribution to his defence.
The legal team is waiting for DNA evidence related to the gun allegedly used in the shooting. Investigators found a vintage, German bolt-action rifle, built for use in both World Wars, in a wooded area near the scene of the murder.
The rifle is so old that it may have been brought into the U.S. before laws were passed in the 1960s that require guns to have serial numbers to trace them. Lawyers for the prosecution say DNA connects Robinson to the murder, and they have enough to go ahead with the trial.
Kirk, a conservative activist, podcaster, staunch ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and major figure in the MAGA movement, was fatally shot at a rally at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 of last year. The 31-year-old father of two was the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a non-profit organization advocating for conservative values in American politics. He was famous for going onto university campuses and engaging left-wing students and activists and dismantling their arguments with ease, infuriating woke progressives all over the globe.
Bullet tied to rifle?
Robinson’s defence team said in a court filing it was given a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which it argues is an indication “that the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied” to Robinson.
The lawyers added they have not been able to review the ATF case file, nor the protocols pertaining to the examination of the bullet fragment from the autopsy. Court documents also say the FBI is running bullet analysis tests as well, but it hasn’t yet completed them.
“Until the defence 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,” the filing says. Defence attorneys added that depending on the findings, they may use the ATF analyst’s testimony to clear Robinson of guilt.
The defence team expects the first review of the digital evidence will take 60 days, adding it received 31 hours of audio files, 700 hours of video files, and 600,000 data files earlier this month.
“The defence team is realistic, and the comprehensive review required to determine what is missing will take hundreds of hours,” the filing said.