Kirk Murder Case Advances; Ex-Bucknell Coach Charged in Player Death
A weeklong preliminary hearing in the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk reached a pivotal moment Thursday as prosecutors played redacted recordings in which the defendant’s roommate said he told investigators that Tyler Robinson “wishes he hadn’t done it.” In a separate case, a former strength and conditioning coach at Bucknell University has been charged in the death of a freshman football player who collapsed during training due to complications from sickle-cell trait.
Charlie Kirk Murder Hearing
Prosecutors in Provo, Utah, are seeking to bring Tyler Robinson, 23, to trial for the September 2025 assassination of Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot in the neck while speaking to thousands at Utah Valley University. According to The Associated Press, a recording played in court Thursday captured Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, telling investigators that Robinson expressed regret the day after the shooting. Twiggs was granted immunity for his statements.
Prosecutors allege Robinson left a note for Twiggs reading, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” and sent a text saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.” Investigators recovered a bolt-action rifle with one spent round, wrapped in a towel, in a wooded area near the shooting scene. FBI DNA analysis linked Robinson to the evidence, though defense attorneys have questioned the reliability of the testing.
Former Utah Valley University police officer Chris Bagley testified earlier in the hearing that he found a “sniper pad” on the rooftop of a campus building — impressions from two elbows, two knees, and where a gun may have been placed. Surveillance footage showed an individual running to the edge of the roof and dropping down, and a shoe print was found in the grass below.
State District Judge Tony Graf will decide at the conclusion of the hearing whether prosecutors have met the low 51% threshold required to proceed to trial. Legal experts expect the case to advance. Robinson has not entered a plea, and his attorneys have unsuccessfully sought to have the death penalty removed as a possible sentence.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who now leads Turning Point USA, has attended the hearing along with his parents. She forgave Robinson during her husband’s memorial service but wrote on social media this week that “every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death.” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Donald Trump Jr. have also been in attendance.
Bucknell Coach Charged in Football Player’s Death
In Pennsylvania, former Bucknell University strength and conditioning coach Mark Kulbis has been charged with felony aggravated hazing, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and hazing in the July 2024 death of freshman football player Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr., according to NPR.
Kulbis ordered Dickey and other players to perform 100 “up-downs” (burpees) along with full-body plank drills on their first day of practice as punishment for not executing drills correctly, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. Dickey, 18, had sickle-cell trait, a condition that can cause decreased blood flow and muscle breakdown after intense exertion. He began struggling, passed out, and died two days later in the hospital.
An autopsy determined the cause of death was the combination of the exercises, sickle-cell trait, body weight, and exertional rhabdomyolysis — a rare but life-threatening condition in which muscles break down from overexertion.
“The facts show this was an intentional, deliberate hazing perpetrated by a coach who knew C.J.’s health condition made him vulnerable to extreme workouts,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. “The facts show this defendant received information about C.J.’s health condition, along with training about NCAA anti-hazing standards, and disregarded that information.”
Kulbis had been told about Dickey’s medical condition and received training from the university on it, according to the attorney general’s office. He served as head football strength and conditioning coach for about six years and left Bucknell in January 2025, roughly six months after Dickey’s death. Bail was set at $10,000.
Dickey’s family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Bucknell University, Kulbis, and several school officials, arguing that the death was “completely avoidable.” The NCAA requires new athletes to be tested for sickle-cell trait and advises that coaches should “conduct appropriate sport-specific conditioning based on sound scientific principles and be ready to intervene when student-athletes show signs of distress.”
Broader Implications
The two cases, while unrelated, raise significant questions about accountability. The Kirk murder hearing highlights tensions between media transparency and a defendant’s right to a fair trial, with the judge carefully weighing which evidence can be publicly displayed. The Bucknell case represents a rare instance of a coach facing criminal charges in connection with an athlete’s death during training, potentially setting a precedent for accountability in collegiate athletics and prompting renewed scrutiny of how programs handle athletes with known medical conditions.
What to Watch
The preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson is expected to conclude this week, after which Judge Graf will rule on whether the case proceeds to trial. The death penalty question remains a major point of contention. In the Bucknell case, Kulbis faces arraignment on the charges, while the civil lawsuit against the university continues to move through the courts.