Preliminary hearing underway for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk

PROVO, Utah (CBS, KYMA) - A key hearing is underway in Utah in the case against the man accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Prosecutors are trying to convince a judge they have enough evidence to go to trial and seek the death penalty.

Erika Kirk, Kirk's widow, as well as his parents, arrived at a Utah court, where they were seated behind Tyler Robinson, the man charged with Kirk's assassination.

Prosecutors began detailing their case against Robinson, calling former Utah Valley University (UVU) Police Officer Chris Bagley to the stand.

In the chaos last September at UVU, former Officer Bagley says he ran to the roof of a nearby building, where he believed the shot came from, and discovered a red and black screwdriver.

Under cross examination, the defense questioned Bagley about security the day of Kirk's rally.

When defense attorney Kathryn Nester asked if he saw anyone who was armed that day, other than law enforcement, Bagley said, "No."

Prosecutors plan to share DNA evidence that allegedly links Robinson to the suspected murder weapon found at the scene, as well as testimony from investigators, and autopsy findings.

"In these types of cases, you do tend to see prosecutors who are giving more information than maybe they otherwise would because you have a lot of audiences in a case like this," said Jessica Levinson, Legal Contributor for CBS News.

They claim the alleged assassin confessed to Kirk's murder in a text message to his partner and in a letter which read, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it."

Ahead of the hearing, Kirk's family released a joint statement saying in part, "Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death…"

Donald Trump Jr., who spoke at Kirk's memorial service last year, was also in court for the first day of the preliminary hearing, telling CBS News, "I'm here to support a friend."