Newly disclosed materials provided to Tyler Robinson’s attorneys reportedly outline findings related to the bullet recovered during Charlie Kirk’s autopsy, as well as the rifle investigators believe was used in the killing of the Turning Point USA founder.
Kirk was fatally shot in Utah last year, and Robinson later turned himself in to police.
The 22-year-old has since been charged with multiple offenses, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty.
Robinson and his legal team are scheduled to appear in court in May for a preliminary hearing. Ahead of that date, prosecutors have reportedly handed over thousands of pages of discovery for the defense to review.
Because of the volume, the defense has requested that the hearing be postponed, with one estimate suggesting it could take as long as six months to fully examine the materials.
Included within the documents is said to be a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives report indicating that specialists had difficulty definitively tying the fatal bullet to the rifle Robinson allegedly used. Previous reporting has identified the weapon as a Mauser model 98, and it has been suggested the rifle belonged to Robinson’s father.
The defense is expected to point to those findings as part of its effort to challenge the case against Robinson.
Commenting on the reports, ballistics expert Steven Howard said it is not unusual for analysts to be unable to conclusively connect a bullet to a specific firearm.
He told the Daily Mail: “Rifles have so much velocity and therefore so much energy, that the bullets a lot of times damage themselves to the point that you can’t realistically match them up because they’re so damaged.”
Howard added: “You can say, OK, it’s from this type of weapon because it’s got the right number of lands and grooves, and they’re basically the right width, it’s the right caliber.
“But after that, the bullet’s so damaged you can’t really line things up in a ballistic comparison microscope and match it.”
Howard also noted that rifle rounds typically carry more energy than handgun rounds, which can lead to greater fragmentation after striking soft tissue or bone—potentially making identification even more difficult.
Based on that, he suggested the bullet involved “is damaged so much they can’t conclusively match it”.
Robinson is expected back in court on April 17 for a hearing related to the defense’s request to prohibit cameras in the courtroom.