Charlie Kirk murder bombshell: Lawyer for accused shooter Tyler Robinson claims bullet doesn't match weapon

The defence team for the man accused of gunning down right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has made a bombshell claim that could derail the case against him.

Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of firing a single shot from a rooftop that killed the Turning Point co-founder during an outdoor debate with students at Utah Valley University in September.

Kirk was shot in the neck in front of a horrified crowd before he was rushed to hospital, where he died hours later.

The alleged assassin is facing a potential death penalty if found guilty.

Robinson’s lawyers have lodged a new court filing that includes the claim that the bullet that killed Kirk hasn’t been matched to the weapon tied to the 22-year-old.

Authorities have previously said the gun used to kill Kirk was a bolt-action Mauser 98.

In a motion filed on Friday, his lawyers also revealed that reports by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) showed “multiple quantities of DNA were found on some items of evidence”, according to documents cited by Utah’s Deseret News.

Robinson’s lawyers have asked for a delay to a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 18, saying they need more time to review an enormous amount of material, including bullet analysis that could aid his defence.

“Determining the number of contributors to a DNA mixture and determining whether the FBI and the ATF reliably applied validated and correct scientific procedures... is a complicated process,” the court documents read.

An initial report had indicated that “the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr Robinson”, the filing reads.

“Although the state has not indicated an intent to produce this report at the preliminary hearing, the defence may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence,” Robinson’s lawyers wrote.

The FBI is running additional tests, according to court documents.

The agency’s report has been kept private, but lawyers have cited snippets in other public filings that say the results were inconclusive.

The success of a forensic ballistics analysis depends on the size and condition of the bullet fragments. Experts look for unique, microscopic markings left on a bullet as it passes through the gun’s barrel. The scratches are like fingerprints in that no two firearms make identical markings.

Prosecutors have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing and two unfired cartridges.

Robinson is due back in court on April 17 for a hearing on a defence motion to ban cameras from the courtroom.

— with AP