She loved watching Charlie Kirk’s debates online, so the 18-year-old Utah Valley University student was excited to see him speak on her college campus in September.
The student testified in a Utah County courtroom on Tuesday that when she got to her campus, she took a few videos on her cellphone, surprised at the size of the crowd that had gathered, and captured a clip of Kirk walking out onto the stage. Then she decided to put her phone down. She wanted to enjoy the moment without it.
The student said she had been looking across the crowd when she heard a loud sound and heard a man yell, “He’s been shot!” Then, she said, there was panic: She ducked down for a few seconds before she was able to leave the amphitheater. She soon learned from another person in the crowd that Kirk had been shot.
She didn’t see Kirk’s death, the student testified, but she said she felt sad thinking about Kirk’s family and his children.
The freshman testified on Tuesday during a court hearing for Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson. Her father is Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander, and he’s part of the team litigating the potential death penalty case against Robinson.
Robinson’s defense team has argued that Grunander’s daughter attending the UVU event creates a disqualifying conflict of interest. They’ve asked a judge to ban the entire Utah County attorney’s office from handling the case against 22-year-old Robinson.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander testifies in 4th District Court in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Grunander, a long-time prosecutor, may not be able to fairly handle Robinson’s case, they contend, adding that Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray has made no efforts to wall him off.
“The issue here is that the most experienced and most senior prosecutor in the office … should have been walled off from this prosecution until this court had the opportunity to consider where disqualification was necessary,” defense attorney Richard Novak argued.
The Utah County attorney’s office has pushed back, arguing that Grunander doesn’t have a conflict that requires the lawyer — or his entire team — to be disqualified.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride argued Tuesday that Grunander’s daughter didn’t see the shooting, and is not a witness in the case. She wasn’t traumatized by the event, McBride argued, and she hasn’t missed classes or needed counseling.
“I’ve been totally fine,” the teenager testified on Tuesday.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride in 4th District Court in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Defense attorney Kathryn Nester and Tyler Robinson look on as video evidence is presented in 4th District Court in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 during a hearing for Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing.
McBride further argued that Grunander’s relationship didn’t affect the decision-making of his office, including Gray’s quick decision to announce that he would seek the death penalty against Robinson.
“There’s been no evidence that [Grunander’s] child had any effect on the prosecution of this case to date,” McBride argued, “and there’s no reason to believe it will have any effect in the future.”
Grunander also testified on Tuesday, saying that while he initially learned that Kirk had been shot from his daughter in a family group text, there was nothing she said that he hadn’t learned later as investigators continued gathering evidence.
He said that after his daughter texted their family, he was “startled” and “concerned for welfare,” but after speaking to her on the phone, he felt she was safe.
“The effect it had on me, I was obviously concerned when I first heard, that’s why I called her to make sure she was OK,” Grunander testified. “And then there was work to be done. And we got busy trying to understand what had happened that day and putting the pieces together.”
Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf is expected to announce whether the Utah County attorney’s office will remain on the case during a hearing on Feb. 24.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, during a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
There’s been an effort to keep the identity of Grunander and his daughter private due to concern for their safety. Graf denied requests from attorneys to close the courtroom for their testimony, though he did briefly clear the courtroom so the daughter could identify herself on the record without the public there.
Robinson is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in connection with Kirk’s death. Prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.