The Utah judge overseeing the murder case against Tyler Robinson has cleared the way for a five-day preliminary hearing beginning Monday in Provo, where prosecutors will lay out their evidence that the 23-year-old fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last September.

Fourth District Judge Tony Graf will allow news photographers and a livestream feed inside the courtroom but bar other reporters and the public from bringing laptops or phones.

The Utah Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear Robinson's last-minute bid to block the cameras or delay the proceedings.

Robinson, who turned himself in after a 33-hour manhunt, has not yet entered a plea to charges that include aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted of aggravated murder, and Graf ruled last month that the capital option remains on the table.

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd of thousands on the Orem campus on Sept. 10, 2025.

The camera fight has dominated the run-up to Monday.

In a written order this week, Graf let news outlets photograph and livestream the July 6-10 hearing but took the unusual step of restricting other journalists and members of the public from carrying laptops or phones into the courtroom, saying such devices "may disrupt and/or compromise the integrity of the preliminary hearing proceedings."

He carved out one narrow exception, barring the Deseret News from taking pictures on the first day because its request missed the filing deadline; however, the paper may photograph the July 8 and July 10 sessions.

Robinson's defense has argued that livestreamed footage will taint the jury pool in a death-penalty case saturated with online commentary and conspiracy theories.

Prosecutors, Kirk's widow Erika Kirk, and a coalition of media organizations countered that public access would help dispel misinformation.

On Thursday, the Utah Supreme Court sided with the trial court, writing that "the petition for permission to appeal from an interlocutory order is denied" and deeming Robinson's stay motion moot.

Two additional defense petitions, one seeking to bar hearsay evidence and another challenging Graf's refusal to compel the key witness, Lance Twiggs, to appear in person, remain pending.

The preliminary hearing is the first sustained public airing of the state's evidence.

Prosecutors must show probable cause that Robinson committed the charged offenses before the case can move to a jury trial.

According to filings, the state plans to introduce ballistics reports, surveillance video from the campus, phone and social media data, text messages between Robinson and Twiggs, his former roommate and romantic partner, and Kirk's autopsy report.

Twiggs, granted limited immunity, is expected to testify through a prerecorded video interview in which she says Robinson confessed.

Kirk's parents and Erika Kirk are expected in the Provo courtroom, their first appearance at a hearing in the case.

Both sides have agreed to warn the family before graphic images or video of the shooting are shown, giving them the option to step out.

If Graf finds probable cause on any count, Robinson will be bound over for trial and expected to enter pleas shortly after.