Judge in accused assassin Tyler Robinson's case explains why death penalty remains on table in written order

PROVO, Utah — When ruling that the death penalty will remain on the table in the case against accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson, Utah Fourth District Judge Tony Graf Jr. found that allegedly shooting someone in a crowded place alone wasn't what convinced him that there's probable cause to believe Robinson knowingly put at least one bystander in "great risk of death." Robinson, 23, is accused of shooting the 31-year-old father of two in broad daylight at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University last year, where thousands of people were watching.

The documented positions of multiple people near Kirk when he was killed do satisfy the statutory requirement, Graf ruled.

TYLER ROBINSON RARELY HIT BULLSEYE IN PRACTICE SHOTS, PUTTING BYSTANDERS AT RISK IN KIRK SHOOTING: PROSECUTORS "The Court therefore considers the actual spatial circumstances surrounding the shot, the proximity of other individuals to Mr.

Kirk, and the evidence bearing on Defendant's knowledge of those circumstances," he wrote.

Read Judge Graf's order : Kirk was sitting under a Turning Point USA -branded tent, on a small stage, responding to questions from audience members — one of whom was standing at a microphone "east of and in front of Mr.

Kirk," Graf wrote.

There was a security guard under the tent with Kirk and two more nearby, to the left and right in front of the canopy.

The fatal gunshot is alleged to have come from the east — the rooftop of the Losee Center on the far side of the courtyard.

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO TIMELINE TRACKS ACCUSED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN ACROSS UVU CAMPUS BEFORE FATAL ROOFTOP SHOT The first part of Graf's reasoning is based on those "documented positions," Graf wrote.

"Second, the physical evidence establishes that the shot was fired from an elevated position approximately 415 feet from the canopy and 68 feet above it, and that the bullet traveled anatomically from front to back and downward after striking Mr.

Kirk," he continued.

Because the bullet did not exit Kirk's body, Graf wrote that he did not "assign a quantitative probability" of ricochet, over penetration "or a hypothetical deviation in aim." "Rather, the relevant evidence is that Defendant allegedly discharged a .30-06 rifle toward a seated victim while several other individuals occupied positions in and around the canopy area," he wrote.