Provo • Tyler Robinson’s defense team didn’t want the public to see video clips that were played inside a Provo courtroom Tuesday morning, as prosecutors continue to present evidence they say shows Robinson fatally shot Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus in September.

The surveillance videos showed four times when authorities allege Robinson came to Utah Valley University’s campus on Sept. 10 and into the early morning hours the following day — including footage that a police officer said he believed showed Robinson run across the roof of a campus building, lay out in a “prone” position, then jump off the building and run away after Kirk was shot.

Defense attorney Kathy Nester argued that this footage would “play a big role in the trial,” and she worried about potential jurors seeing the videos.

But 4th District Judge Tony Graf let the videos, which allegedly show Robinson on the move at key moments before and after the shooting, play publicly Tuesday. His decision came during the second day of a weeklong preliminary hearing for Robinson, who faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

Graf initially did not allow these videos to be published on Monday because prosecutors had altered the footage by zooming in or drawing red circles to highlight moments of interest. Prosecutors returned Tuesday with unedited videos.

Kirk’s parents and his widow, Erika Kirk, were in the Provo courtroom Tuesday — and, as they did the day before, briefly left when testimony directly addressed Kirk being shot. Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina Trump were also listening in the courtroom gallery for part of the day.

The first video shown Tuesday morning depicts a man prosecutors believe is Robinson parking a Dodge Challenger in a campus parking garage around 8:30 a.m. on Sept 10. The video showed the man wearing a backpack, climbing the parking lot stairwell and visiting the quad, where Kirk was scheduled to speak hours later. Video shows the man return to the car around 9:25 a.m. and drive away.

David Hull, who worked as a Utah Bureau of Investigations agent at the time of the shooting, testified that the man, again wearing a backpack, walked back to campus around 10 a.m., when he went to the Sorenson Center, a student hub in the middle of campus, and ate at the Chick-Fil-A on the second floor.

The man then left campus again briefly, heading to a nearby wooded area. He returned soon without a backpack, and, Hull testified, went to the Losee Center roof. He left at 11 a.m.

Footage then shows the man return, but this time wearing different clothing and walking with a noticeable limp as he climbs the parking lot stairs again. “He appears to be having issues walking,” Hull said.

Prosecutors had said previously that the limp was “consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants.”

Around 12:22 p.m., approximately the time Kirk was shot, long-distance footage captures a person running across the Losee Center roof then lying down in a prone position. The person then runs to the edge of the roof and jumps down.

When prosecutors attempted to show a close-up view of the rooftop, Graf did not allow it. Regardless, Hull testified that he believed the man captured on video fleeing from the roof was Robinson.

Defense attacking evidence

The defense team was more aggressive Tuesday in attempting to poke holes in the evidence that prosecutors say implicate the now-23-year-old man in the shooting.

Nester questioned Hull about whether authorities investigated all of the tips they received, including online death threats that Kirk purportedly received the day prior to the UVU event.

The defense attorney also pointed out that no bullet cartridge or evidence was found on the Losee Center roof, and that an unfired cartridge was found near another building.

Hull said investigators believe that unspent round was left by a responding officer who had unloaded their pistol after there was no longer a threat on campus.

Robinson’s attorneys also spent Tuesday afternoon posing hours of detailed questions to FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker, who concluded that Robinson’s DNA was likely on a screwdriver that was found on the roof of the Losee Center, and a towel that authorities allege Robinson wrapped the rifle in after he fired the fatal shot.

The defense questioned the validity of Bakker’s conclusions.

Discussing Kirk’s beliefs

Also on Tuesday, attorneys argued over whether a statement from David Engelhardt — an attorney who was Kirk’s pastor and friend — could be presented in court.

The statement centered on what Engelhardt said Kirk’s religious and political beliefs were. Specifically, Engelhardt said Kirk believed in “traditional family values” and had opinions about sexuality and gender. Engelhardt referenced the Bible in his statement.

Defense attorney Richard Novak argued that Kirk’s religious beliefs were not part of the case. Novak argued that prosecutors have said in court papers only that Robinson allegedly targeted Kirk because of his political beliefs.

The arguments led Graf, the judge, to ask: “Does religion or gender intersect with politics?” Novak replied that the question was complicated, and he didn’t think he should answer.

Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride argued that Kirk’s political views and religious views were intertwined, and it was necessary to present that to the judge because they charged Robinson with a “victim targeting enhancement” that could lead to more severe penalties.

McBride said prosecutors intend to present evidence later in the hearing that they say shows Robinson targeted Kirk because he was “on the other side of those views.”

Graf allowed the statement to be admitted, but held off on publishing it to the courtroom. He said he would consider doing so once other evidence about an alleged motive was presented, and if publishing the statement was necessary.