The Megyn Kelly Show - September 02, 2026


Tyler Robinson To Stand Trial and Face Death Penalty, Stabbing of New Mother in NYC： AM Update 9⧸2


Episode Stats


Length

20 minutes

Words per minute

147.54

Word count

3,052

Sentence count

188


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
00:00:00.000 order up thank you no no no oh come on this is not happening turn off the water where's the
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00:00:22.240 a licensed dd insurance advisor can help you get the right insurance coverage to protect your
00:00:26.820 business. It's how we're making insurance more human. Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly.
00:00:34.960 It's Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026. And this is your AM update. Nearly one year after Charlie
00:00:41.360 Kirk's assassination, Tyler Robinson now headed to trial with the death penalty still on the table.
00:00:47.500 A closely watched U.S. Senate primary in Massachusetts with longtime Senator Ed Markey
00:00:53.300 defeating a young challenger in Congressman Seth Moulton.
00:00:57.380 Both stabbings occurred within approximately 20 seconds of each other.
00:01:02.060 A young Bank of America executive killed in a random Times Square stabbing spree
00:01:07.560 as police release new details about the woman accused of carrying it out.
00:01:12.520 And a petting zoo donkey shot dead by police during a search for a missing child,
00:01:18.360 sparking outrage in rural Georgia and beyond.
00:01:21.320 All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.
00:01:29.080 We are still a couple months out, but the midterms are fast approaching.
00:01:33.140 And make no mistake, if the house flips, it is a big deal for our economy.
00:01:38.340 That uncertainty is one of the many reasons to consider diversifying with gold from Birch Gold Group.
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00:02:14.500 989-898 and get a free info kit and some solid information. The midterms will be here before
00:02:20.920 you know it. Don't wait. Text MK to 989-898. Nearly one year after the assassination of Charlie Kirk,
00:02:30.520 his accused killer, Tyler Robinson, now heading to trial. With a Utah judge ruling last night,
00:02:36.560 there is enough evidence to move forward with the case against him. Robinson charged with
00:02:41.340 aggravated murder, felony firearm use, two counts of obstruction of justice,
00:02:46.140 two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent act in the presence of a child.
00:02:51.100 Charlie's widow, Erica, sitting in the courtroom beside Charlie's mother and father.
00:02:55.880 Yesterday's proceeding was not a trial, and it was not about deciding Robinson's guilt or
00:03:00.700 innocence. Instead, Judge Tony Graff, hearing the evidence and arguments before deciding whether
00:03:05.720 prosecutors have cleared the probable cause threshold required for the charges to move
00:03:10.960 forward. In closing arguments, Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride, laying out four categories
00:03:17.280 of evidence, he says established that Robinson is the shooter. Video, DNA, alleged admissions,
00:03:24.160 and circumstantial evidence. McBride, pointing to surveillance video, he says places Robinson
00:03:29.260 on Utah Valley University's campus four times on the day Kirk was killed, including immediately
00:03:35.160 before and after the shooting. McBride arguing the rifle recovered near campus, the towel wrapped
00:03:41.240 around it, ammo with etched messages, and items recovered from Robinson's apartment all tie him
00:03:47.780 to the shooting. McBride citing forensic testimony that DNA from the rifle, towel, and screwdriver
00:03:53.560 recovered from the roof included Robinson as a possible match. The prosecutor further pointing
00:03:59.100 to what he described as Robinson's admissions, including his confession note to his trans lover
00:04:05.300 Lance Twiggs and what he called the classic circumstantial evidence of motive, means,
00:04:10.820 and opportunity. Prosecutors then turning to the aggravating circumstance attached to the murder
00:04:16.380 charge, whether Robinson put people other than Charlie Kirk at risk. That allegation crucial
00:04:22.200 because aggravated murder is the charge making Robinson eligible for the death penalty if
00:04:27.320 convicted. McBride arguing Robinson created that risk by firing a high-powered rifle toward Kirk
00:04:33.960 from roughly 400 feet away, with thousands of people gathered around him. To make the case,
00:04:40.120 McBride pointing to the attempted assassination of President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
00:04:45.240 In addition to common sense, you know that if you shoot into a crowd, you're going to,
00:04:49.420 if you miss, you're going to hit someone else. That's not just a possibility, that's a great
00:04:53.180 risk of death to someone else when we're talking about firing a high-powered rifle. We remember
00:04:58.040 Butler, Pennsylvania, when President Trump was shot. His life was saved because he turned his
00:05:02.760 head and the bullet went through his ear. And what happened in that miss and other misses?
00:05:07.160 Well, three of those errant shots hit people, one of which fatally. Not only is there common sense,
00:05:12.740 but there's recent precedent. You shoot at someone in a public assassination attempt,
00:05:17.260 you have a great risk of killing someone else. In the defense's closing argument at the hearing,
00:05:22.460 Robinson's team challenging the state's evidence, the aggravating circumstance tied to the murder
00:05:27.380 charge, and the alleged motive behind the killing. Defense attorney Stacey Visser arguing prosecutors
00:05:33.200 failed to show Robinson put anyone other than Charlie in danger, pointing to one bullet,
00:05:38.600 one victim, and what she called no evidence anyone else in the crowd was threatened.
00:05:43.960 Later in the closing, defense attorney Richard Novak then asking Judge Graff to dismiss the
00:05:48.460 witness tampering charges, which are based at least in part on Robinson's text to Twiggs that
00:05:54.480 read, quote, Don't talk to the media, please. Don't take any interviews or make any comments.
00:05:59.920 If any police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and stay silent. The defense arguing those messages
00:06:06.620 to Twiggs came as Tyler Robinson was preparing to surrender and were meant to protect Twiggs,
00:06:12.500 not obstruct the investigation. On a separate enhancement for three of the counts,
00:06:18.120 Prosecutors alleging Robinson targeted Kirk because of his political expression.
00:06:22.720 Defense attorney Novak arguing Robinson's message to Twiggs that, quote,
00:06:26.620 some hate can't be negotiated out, does not establish what Robinson knew about Kirk
00:06:33.100 or what allegedly motivated him.
00:06:36.020 Then Novak deciding to inaccurately attack Charlie Kirk as hateful.
00:06:41.100 There is no evidence of Mr. Robinson having heard or seen anything specific from Mr. Kirk.
00:06:47.640 or having expressed anything about Mr. Kirk
00:06:52.340 until the statement,
00:06:55.760 it is true that Mr. Kirk spoke hatefully
00:07:00.380 of certain groups of people.
00:07:02.500 He spoke hatefully of people
00:07:05.480 who don't have traditional, norm-conforming gender identities.
00:07:12.420 He spoke hatefully of people who are not strictly heterosexual.
00:07:16.760 And yes, it is true that the evidence from Mr. Twiggs is that he identified in a non-gender conforming way to his friends and that he was in a romantic relationship with Mr. Robinson.
00:07:32.200 But that doesn't mean that those personal choices by Mr. Twiggs and by Mr. Robinson equate with the hate that at least Mr. Robinson says he had toward Mr. Kirk.
00:07:47.080 Charlie spoke truthfully, not hatefully, about other people.
00:07:51.500 In fact, there are countless videos of him speaking very kindly and lovingly to trans and gay people.
00:07:58.240 I'm going to have an opinion that very few people will ever tell you,
00:08:01.540 which is I want you to be very cautious putting drugs into your system in the pursuit of changing your body.
00:08:08.740 I instead encourage you to work on what's going on in your brain first.
00:08:13.300 I think what you need first and foremost is just a diagnosis.
00:08:16.760 Just someone that is going to listen to what you've gone through, listen to what else is going on.
00:08:21.820 My prayer for you, and again, very few people will say this, I actually want to see you be comfortable in how you were born.
00:08:29.160 Mr. Novak, do your homework.
00:08:31.900 Judge Graff then taking nearly an hour and a half to consider the arguments.
00:08:35.640 When he returned, the judge finding enough evidence for all seven charges to go to trial, including aggravated murder, meaning the death penalty remains on the table.
00:08:45.680 Judge Graff then asking for Robinson's plea, his lawyers entering a not-guilty plea on all counts.
00:08:52.240 Judge Graff scheduling the next pretrial conference for October 23rd, where they intend to set a trial date.
00:08:58.300 Erica Kirk responding in a statement on X, calling the ruling an important step in her family's pursuit of justice.
00:09:05.580 The Turning Point's CEO and Charlie's widow, writing, quote,
00:09:08.820 Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie's murder has taken from
00:09:13.360 his family, especially his children, who will grow up without their father.
00:09:19.700 Massachusetts Democrats voting yesterday in a closely watched U.S. Senate primary,
00:09:24.400 deciding to give longtime Senator Ed Markey another term over Congressman Seth Moulton.
00:09:30.500 Senator Markey, age 80, first winning a seat in the House in 1976,
00:09:34.580 before joining the Senate in a special election in 2013,
00:09:38.820 now seeking a third full term. Congressman Moulton, a 47-year-old Marine veteran first
00:09:44.500 elected to Congress in 2014, building his Senate campaign around the case for
00:09:49.280 new Democrat leadership. The race providing a unique showdown given the incumbent is more
00:09:54.760 progressive, but a longtime D.C. politician, while the challenger is younger, but supposedly
00:10:00.500 more moderate. Senator Markey using his own liberal record as a differentiator throughout
00:10:06.360 the race, portraying Moulton as too moderate for Massachusetts voters, pointing to remarks made by
00:10:11.260 Moulton in 2024 about boys' and girls' sports. If only he had meant them. Congressman Moulton
00:10:18.220 previously telling the New York Times, quote, Democrats spent way too much time trying not to
00:10:21.940 offend anyone, rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face, adding,
00:10:27.620 quote, I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or
00:10:32.240 formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I'm supposed to be afraid to say that.
00:10:36.980 Despite the blather, Mr. Moulton subsequently apologizing for those comments and failing to
00:10:42.200 back the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The primary winner expected to be the heavy
00:10:48.100 favorite in November's general election in deep blue Massachusetts. At the end of the night,
00:10:53.300 Massachusetts Democrats easily setting Senator Markey up for another term, rejecting Congressman
00:10:59.120 Seth Moulton's call for new leadership.
00:11:01.980 Senator Markey speaking after the win.
00:11:04.400 Massachusetts values the promise of democracy born here 250 years ago.
00:11:10.660 We have led the fight to combat Trump and MAGA extremism.
00:11:14.540 And we are not backing down in Massachusetts.
00:11:17.680 Not now, not ever.
00:11:20.660 So to Donald Trump and his enablers, if you're listening, Massachusetts has something to
00:11:25.800 say tonight.
00:11:26.460 We will not sit by while you try to destroy this democracy.
00:11:32.180 We will not sit by as you terrorize and detain and deport our immigrant neighbors.
00:11:38.480 We need ICE out of our communities and we need to abolish ICE now.
00:11:44.900 Congressman Moulton conceding the race.
00:11:47.540 I just called Senator Markey to congratulate him on his victory tonight.
00:11:50.820 He has my full support as our Democratic nominee, and we must stand united this November to protect our democracy and defeat Donald Trump.
00:12:02.100 We entered this race as the underdog, and while tonight's outcome isn't what we worked so hard to achieve, I could not be prouder of the campaign we built together.
00:12:15.720 coming up one victim in a new york city stabbing spree identified as a young bank of america
00:12:23.300 executive and a georgia family grieving the loss of its beloved petting zoo donkey after he was
00:12:29.400 shot by police during a search for a missing child what why
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00:13:42.420 heard about Cozy Earth right here. A young Bank of America executive
00:13:50.540 killed in a New York City stabbing spree Monday in Times Square, now identified as 32-year-old
00:13:56.920 Erin Piacenti of Chester, New Jersey. Piacenti, working in New York as a vice president at the
00:14:03.000 bank, she was a University of Pennsylvania and Fordham law graduate who had recently celebrated
00:14:08.780 her second wedding anniversary, according to the New York Post. Piacenti, also a brand new mom,
00:14:15.060 reportedly in her first week back at Bank of America after five months of maternity leave.
00:14:20.540 The New York Times reporting Piacente shared a photo on social media
00:14:23.980 just days before the attack holding her newborn daughter beside her husband.
00:14:29.340 Ugh.
00:14:30.260 Police identifying the woman accused of killing Piacente
00:14:33.000 as 49-year-old Queens resident Pamela Cisneros.
00:14:37.660 Authorities say Cisneros first attacked a 68-year-old man,
00:14:41.360 then moved toward Piacente seconds later.
00:14:44.260 Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch describing the rapid sequence.
00:14:47.820 A witness at the scene told investigators that he observed the subject remove two knives
00:14:53.200 from a red target bag before approaching the first victim. The subject waved the knives
00:15:00.280 before stabbing a 68-year-old man in the right side of his abdomen in what appears to be a random
00:15:08.620 and unprovoked attack. The subject then proceeded up 7th Avenue toward 42nd Street and approached
00:15:16.800 a second victim, a 32-year-old woman, stabbing her in the abdomen. We believe that this too
00:15:24.620 was a random and unprovoked attack. Both stabbings occurred within approximately 20 seconds
00:15:30.980 of each other. Piacente, who was reportedly on her way home, later pronounced dead at the hospital.
00:15:38.320 Witnesses then flagging down officers on 7th Avenue between West 42nd and West 43rd streets,
00:15:44.180 where police say Cisneros was still carrying both knives.
00:15:48.460 Commissioner Tish saying officers tried for several minutes
00:15:51.360 to get her to surrender before she advanced toward them.
00:15:54.980 The officers engaged the woman in dialogue for four minutes
00:16:00.100 and gave her numerous commands to drop the knives, which she refused.
00:16:06.520 During the encounter, she told the officers,
00:16:09.660 quote, I'm not dropping anything.
00:16:11.580 I would rather kill both of you. She repeated, I will kill you. The subject began waving the
00:16:19.160 knives and advanced towards the officers. Multiple officers discharged tasers, which proved to be
00:16:25.860 ineffective, and the subject continued to advance towards our officers with the knives.
00:16:32.160 Two officers then discharged their service weapons, striking the subject.
00:16:37.280 Cisneros later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
00:16:40.560 Her brother, Patrick Peralta, telling the Daily Mail Cisneros had reportedly been diagnosed
00:16:45.240 with bipolar disorder after struggling with postpartum depression years earlier.
00:16:50.940 Peralta saying Cisneros had been estranged from her daughters and was going through a
00:16:55.080 difficult divorce, but appeared to have been doing better while taking medication.
00:16:59.940 He says she had recently stopped showing up for her usual dinners at their mother's house
00:17:04.340 and had not come home for about a week.
00:17:07.160 Peralta also recounting a past suicide attempt,
00:17:10.600 offering his theory about the confrontation with police,
00:17:13.240 quote, I think she wanted to get shot.
00:17:16.400 If only she had only set herself up to die.
00:17:20.720 A Georgia family mourning the loss of a baby donkey named Hee Haw
00:17:24.640 after a Cedartown police officer shot and killed him
00:17:27.660 during an overnight search for a missing child.
00:17:30.820 According to Cedartown police,
00:17:32.460 the officer was assisting Polk County police
00:17:34.860 in the search early Sunday morning. The child was later located safely at a church near the
00:17:40.720 pasture where Hee Haw was killed. Hee Haw's owner, Hannah Israel, telling Atlanta News First
00:17:46.420 the animal was just over a year old and that she had raised him by bottle from birth.
00:17:52.440 The family alleging officers entered the pasture without permission just after midnight on Sunday.
00:17:57.660 They say officers later told them Hee Haw approached while braying that a taser was tried
00:18:03.080 first. Why? And then an officer shot him. The officer now on paid administrative leave,
00:18:10.320 the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Law Enforcement Division handling the investigation.
00:18:15.620 Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsom telling 11 Alive News he has reviewed the officer's
00:18:20.960 body cam footage. They're members of the human family, and I am too, and heartbroken. I will
00:18:27.440 confirmed body cam video exists. I have viewed it, but I won't comment as to what it portrays
00:18:34.080 to respect the investigation at that state agency. The MK True Crime show co-host Phil
00:18:40.620 Holloway posting to X, quote, I was a rural deputy sheriff in southern Georgia and encountered all
00:18:46.240 manner of livestock on a regular basis. Under no circumstances can I conceive of my life being in
00:18:52.200 danger from a petting zoo donkey. Hannah Israel telling Atlanta News First the loss has left her
00:18:58.780 family devastated. The farm is definitely not the same without him at all. We're very traumatized
00:19:04.320 in shock. It's like there's no words. He should not be dead. The whole circumstances literally
00:19:09.380 say that he shouldn't have died. And donkeys live to be about 35 to 40 years old. Like I thought I
00:19:15.120 would raise my future kids with he-haw, but instead he's gone. So it's very devastating.
00:19:20.880 Israel establishing a GoFundMe that had raised more than $117,000 as of Tuesday night.
00:19:27.600 Israel writing she has hired a lawyer,
00:19:29.920 but will not use any of the GoFundMe money to pay for legal representation.
00:19:34.380 She says donations will instead go toward the farm,
00:19:37.280 care for its animals, and a foundation in Hee Haw's name,
00:19:41.120 not for her family's personal use.
00:19:43.740 Poor Hee Haw.
00:19:46.880 Well, that'll do it for your AM Update.
00:19:48.960 I'm Megan Kelly.
00:19:49.740 Join me back here for the MK Show, live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east, on YouTube.com slash Megyn Kelly, and on all podcast platforms.
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