What evidence have prosecutors disclosed against Tyler Robinson and when will a preliminary hearing occur?

1. The forensic evidence prosecutors have described

Prosecutors have said DNA evidence links Robinson to the killing, reporting that DNA from Robinson matched material found on a towel wrapped around the suspected rifle and on a screwdriver found on the roof from which the shot was fired, according to court filings and reporting summarizing prosecutors’ statements ^{[1] [2]}. Local reporting and national outlets have repeated that claim as part of the county’s asserted case timeline but the underlying forensic reports and chain-of-custody documents are not reproduced in the cited stories, so the public summaries are the best-available account so far ^[1].

2. The digital and circumstantial evidence prosecutors reference

News coverage cites prosecutors’ disclosure of text messages between Robinson and his roommate that authorities say contain inculpatory statements—reporters describe the messages as seeming to confess to the killing—and surveillance footage and a timeline of movements from the day of the shooting that investigators have shared with the court ^{[2] [6]}. These accounts have been used by prosecutors to flesh out an alleged sequence of events, though full contents of the texts and complete surveillance records have not been published in the sources provided ^{[6] [2]}.

3. The formal charges and the death-penalty notice

Robinson faces multiple counts, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice for allegedly disposing of evidence, and witness tampering for reportedly asking a roommate to delete incriminating texts, as reflected in filings cited by Reuters and other outlets ^[7]. Prosecutors have also stated they intend to seek the death penalty, a decision disclosed early in the case and repeatedly referenced by court filings and press reports ^{[8] [9]}.

4. When prosecutors will "lay out" this evidence — the preliminary hearing schedule

Multiple mainstream outlets report that a preliminary hearing where prosecutors will present their case is scheduled to begin May 18, 2026 and is expected to last three days, with the prosecution planning to use that hearing to lay out the evidence they intend to rely on ^{[10] [8] [3]}. Local and national reporters consistently place the hearing on the week of May 18 and characterize it as the moment for the county to formally present its foundational evidence to the court ^{[11] [9]}.

5. Defense challenges that could affect what evidence is shown and when

Robinson’s lawyers have moved to disqualify the Utah County Attorney’s Office over an alleged conflict of interest tied to a prosecutor whose child was at the event, arguing that the appearance of bias and the prosecution’s rapid death-penalty notice are problematic; prosecutors call those motions delay tactics and maintain no conflict exists ^{[4] [5]}. Judge Tony Graf has already presided over hearings about media access, closed-session transcripts and courtroom security—disputes that have led to redacted transcripts and rulings limiting certain camera angles and disclosures, matters that could influence how evidence is publicly shared before and at the May hearing ^{[12] [13] [11]}.

6. What remains unknown or unverified in public reporting

While outlets report DNA matches, text messages, surveillance timelines and the charges, the underlying forensic reports, full text-message logs, witness statements and complete surveillance footage have not been published in the sources provided, so independent verification of the granular evidence details is not available in the cited coverage ^{[1] [2] [6]}. The scope of what prosecutors will formally introduce at the May preliminary hearing will become clearer only when court filings, testimony and exhibits are entered into the record, subject to any rulings on the defense’s procedural motions ^{[3] [10]}.