Ten months after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on camera, pre-trial hearings for the accused killer, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, are under way in Provo, Utah. The proceedings matter because they have begun testing — and, in several cases, undermining — the many conspiracy theories that spread on social media after Kirk's death, offering evidence in place of online speculation.

Prosecutors presented surveillance footage allegedly showing Robinson stalking the Utah Valley University campus on the day of the shooting, appearing to contradict claims by commentator Candace Owens that he was never there. An autopsy report cited by prosecutors found Kirk died from a single bullet to the neck, countering the theory that he was struck by an exploding microphone. Despite this, Owens and others continue to reject the evidence — she disputes the autopsy and argues the person in the footage is taller than Robinson's registered 5ft 10in — while further theories, such as claims of involvement by his security team or a foreign government, remain in circulation.