Charlie Kirk bullet doesn't match suspect's rifle, lawyers claim

Tyler Robinson's defense team, representing the accused killer of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, claims that the bullet recovered from Kirk's body does not conclusively match the rifle found at the scene. In recent court filings, lawyers cited an internal report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that could not definitively link the bullet fragment to the Mauser model 98 rifle associated with Robinson. While the full ATF report has not been made public, the defense has used excerpts to request a delay in the preliminary hearing scheduled for May, arguing they need more time to review ballistic analysis and DNA from other individuals at the crime scene.

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was shot in the neck and killed instantly at an event on a Utah college campus last September. His death sent shockwaves through the U.S., with President Donald Trump posthumously awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Robinson was arrested two days later, and investigators quickly linked the modified rifle found near the scene to text messages in which he confessed the killing to his transgender lover, detailing how he cleaned his fingerprints off the gun.

Despite DNA matching Robinson's being found on the rifle's trigger, the case has spawned conspiracy theories, including claims that Kirk was killed for turning on TPUSA's pro-Israel donors and opposing U.S. strikes on Iran. Robinson's lawyers suggest the lack of a ballistic match could be used to attempt to dismiss charges, noting that each firearm leaves a unique imprint on bullets, allowing analysts to match them with near 100% confidence when fragments are in good condition.