Candace Owens has raised questions about the lack of CCTV footage showing the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk ‘turning himself into police’.
Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at a rally on a college campus in Utah. Since then, Tyler Robinson has faced several charges, including aggravated murder.
Kirk, a far-right activist, was known for his controversial stances on various issues such as the US Civil Rights Act of 1964, which he deemed a ‘mistake’. He also held strong views on women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, and immigration.
In a 2023 statement, Kirk expressed his belief that maintaining Second Amendment rights is “worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year”.
Now, Candace Owens, another far-right commentator and ally of Kirk, has fueled a conspiracy theory regarding his death on social media platforms.
On X, previously known as Twitter, she commented: “Footage of Tyler Robinson turning himself into police does not exist. The footage simply does not exist anymore or…maybe it never existed in the first place. You decide!”
Owens’ comments were triggered by a 2News investigation into the missing footage of Robinson surrendering to police at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office after Kirk’s death.
When queried, the police department explained that they did not possess the CCTV records because they retain footage for only 30 days after it is initially recorded.
A records officer stated: “Our office does not have any applicable records responsive to this request, as the surveillance footage is no longer available after the 30-day retention period.”
When asked by 2News if the footage was shared with another agency, they reportedly received the response: “It is my understanding it was never sent out to any agency.”
The police department also stated in a previous request that ‘Tyler Robinson did not go to or enter the jail area’.
The lack of video evidence has raised concerns for Rudy Bautista, a defense attorney with 26 years of experience in capital cases. Such footage could potentially serve as mitigation for Robinson’s case by demonstrating his cooperation with law enforcement.
“If in fact it has been destroyed and not preserved, it’s very concerning,” Bautista remarked. “And if it has, then it’s very concerning that they’re telling you they don’t have it. If they no longer have it, I would have expected to say that this video has been provided to the Utah County law enforcement.”