LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will go to trial. There was a long day in court in Provo, Utah, as a judge heard final arguments from the prosecution and Tyler Robinson's defense. KUER's Hugo Rikard-Bell was there and has more.
HUGO RIKARD-BELL, BYLINE: It was past 6 p.m. local time when 4th District Judge Tony Graf finally made his ruling.
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TONY GRAF: This evidence is sufficient at this stage to support a reasonable belief the defendant is the individual who shot and killed Charlie Kirk.
RIKARD-BELL: Tyler Robinson will face a jury of his peers for seven charges, including witness tampering and obstruction of justice. The main charge, though - aggravated murder - carries the death penalty in Utah. Kirk's public killing last September has dominated social media and other online forums, and a number of people traveled from out of state to watch the ruling. One of them, Mitchell Manley, is from Arizona. He's a former cameraman for Kirk.
MITCHELL MANLEY: I'm here because - I mean, I met Charlie Kirk when I was 15 years old, and he was probably the largest influence in my worldview as a young adult growing up here in America.
RIKARD-BELL: This case is personal for him. Still, he wants to see Robinson receive a fair trial, regardless of the extreme nature of online reactions to the case.
MANLEY: Innocent until proven guilty. It seems, though, that the right now are the ones trying to label people guilty until proven innocent.
RIKARD-BELL: As Judge Graf read the ruling, a small crowd of students gathered outside the court. They were part of the Utah Valley University chapter of Turning Point USA, Kirk's organization. They quietly took in the news and waited to show support for Kirk's family as they left the court.
For NPR News, I'm Hugo Rikard-Bell in Provo.
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