Prosecutors present surveillance video in Utah murder case

Prosecutors played previously unseen campus surveillance videos Tuesday showing the defendant’s movements on the day of the shooting at Utah Valley University. An investigator testified that the defendant first arrived on campus about four hours before the shooting, walked the grounds in shorts and a T-shirt, bought a meal at Chick-fil-A, and made contact with people from the victim’s organization.

The defendant later returned in different clothes, climbed over a railing onto a rooftop, crouched and ran to a site overlooking the speaking area, then fled on foot after the shooting, the investigator said.

Evidence and testimony Investigators found a bolt-action rifle with one spent round wrapped in a towel in nearby woods. DNA on the towel matched the defendant’s roommate and was very likely the defendant’s, a state bureau analyst testified. Defense attorneys questioned the handling of the crime scene and a bullet found at a different location on campus.

The investigator said that bullet was traced to a law enforcement officer who had cleared a weapon. Attorneys also used testimony from an FBI analyst to show that the presence of DNA on an item does not necessarily mean the person touched it.

” The defense sought to block a statement describing the traditional Christian values of Turning Point USA, arguing it did not reflect the defendant’s state of mind. The judge ruled the statement provisionally admitted. Kirk’s parents, widow, and the president’s son attended the hearing.

Two Utah County residents who were in the crowd when the shooting occurred lined up outside the courthouse before dawn to secure seats.