Sept. 12, 2025

"CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATED AT 31, TRUMP SHOOTER JURY SEATED & KISS AND KILL VERDICT WATCH"

Show Notes
Transcript

Reid Carter addresses Wednesday's assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, condemning all political violence while the manhunt continues for his killer. The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder was shot once from a rooftop while debating students, leaving behind a wife and two children. Plus, jury selection completes for Ryan Routh's Trump assassination attempt - two political violence cases in one week. The Kiss and Kill trial enters verdict watch after Samantha Krebs' disastrous testimony. And updates on the Suni Bell murder case. Friday proves political violence is destroying America, regardless of which side pulls the trigger.

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WEBVTT

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Caalerogus Shark Media. Good morning, I'm read Carter. Friday, September twelfth,

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twenty twenty five. Today we begin with tragedy Wednesday afternoon.

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Charlie Kirk, the thirty one year old founder of Turning

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Point USA, was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University,

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shot once from a rooftop, dead at thirty one, a wife, widowed,

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two children, fatherless. I didn't agree with Charlie Kirk on

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much of anything, but that doesn't matter. Political violence is

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never acceptable, never justified, never excusable. Whether it's aimed at

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the right or the left, it's tearing this country apart.

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We'll discuss the ongoing manhunt, the security failures, and what

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this means for political discourse in America. Then we'll cover

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the completion of jury selection in another political violence case,

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Ryan Ruth's attempt to assassinate Donald Trump, plus updates from

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the Kiss and Kill verdict watch, and the Sunny Bell

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murder case. This is Celebrity Trials. Let's start with what

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we know about Wednesday's assassination. Twelve ten pm September tenth,

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Utah Valley University's outdoor courtyard in Orum, Utah, Charlie Kirk

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is sitting at his Proved Me Wrong debate table taking

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questions from students. About three thousand people in attendance. His wife, Erica,

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and their two young children are there. Kirk is mid

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sentence responding to a question about mass shootings and transgender

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Americans and yes, the irony isn't lost on anyone. When

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a single shot rings out. The video is horrific. Kirk

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grabs his neck, blood immediately visible. He falls backward from

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his chair. The crowd scatters, screaming, people diving for cover.

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One shot, one kill from a rooftop one hundred to

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two hundred yards away. A sniper's shot, an assassination. Kirk

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was pronoununce dead at the hospital. He was thirty one

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years old. As we record this on Thursday afternoon, the

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shooter is still at large. Let me repeat that the

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assassin is still out there. The FBI had detained two

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people Wednesday, even announced one was in custody, then had

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to walk it back. Neither had any connection to the shooting.

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The manhunt continues. The shooter was wearing dark clothing, fired

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from the roof of the Lozy Center on campus and

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vanished into the chaos. Here's what infuriates me. The security

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was minimal. Former Congressman Jason Chaffitz, who was at the event,

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said there was light police presence and Kirk had some security,

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but not enough, not enough. The man regularly received death threats.

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His events, drew protests, an online petition with one thousand

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signatures tried to ban him from campus, and they had

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light security. This is twenty twenty five. We've had political assassinations,

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We've had assassin nation attempts on Trump. The Minnesota Democratic

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House speaker was murdered in June, and we're still doing

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light security for controversial political figures. Governor Spencer Cox called

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it what it is, a political assassination, not a shooting,

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not an incident, an assassination. And before anyone starts with

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conspiracies or celebrations, and yes I've seen both online, stop

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just stop. Charlie Kirk was a husband, a father of

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two young children who watch their daddy get shot, A

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thirty one year old man who, whatever you think of

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his politics, didn't deserve to die for speaking at a college.

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I disagreed with Kirk on almost everything, his views on

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voting rights, immigration, LGBTQ issues. I found them reprehensible. But

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that's what democracy is. We disagree, we debate, we vote,

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We don't shoot each other from rooftops. President Trump ordered

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flags to half staff through Sunday, called Kirk great and legendary,

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said no one understood young conservatives better. Former President Biden

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condemned the violence. There is no place in our country

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for this kind of violence. Former Vice President Harris political

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violence has no place in America. They're all right, but

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we keep saying this, and it keeps happening. Since twenty

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twenty January sixth, capital attack, Paul Pelosi attacked with a hammer,

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Brett Kavanaugh assassination attempt, Steve Scalise shooting, Michigan Governor Whitmer

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kidnapping plot, Trump assassination attempt, Minnesota speaker murdered, and now

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Charlie Kirk. The political violence is escalating. Each side blames

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the other, the rhetoric gets hotter, the security stays inadequate,

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and people keep dying. Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA was controversial.

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They pushed conservative politics on college campuses, organized voter registration

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drives that helped Trump win, platformed controversial speakers. But controversy

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isn't a capital crime. Disagreement isn't grounds for execution. Political

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opposition isn't justification for murder. His wife, Erica, posted a

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Bible verse before the shooting. God is our refuge and strength,

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a very present help in trouble. Now she's a widow

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at around thirty. Their children will grow up without their

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father because someone decided political disagreement required a rifle. The

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shooter is still out there, could be planning another attack,

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could be in another state by now, could be anyone.

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That's what political violence creates. Fear. Now, every political speaker

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wonders if they're next. Every controversial event becomes a potential

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killing field. Every disagreement could end in death. This isn't

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who we're supposed to be. We're supposed to be better

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than this. We're supposed to settle differences with votes, not bullets.

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Charlie Kirk is dead at thirty one, His killer is free,

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and American democracy is dying, one assassination at a time.

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Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk. You deserve to live to

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see your children grow up. You deserve to die of

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old age, not political violence. You deserved better than America

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gave you. Speaking of political violence, jury selection is complete.

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In the case of Ryan Wesley Ruth, the man who

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tried to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf course, the

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timing couldn't be more stark. We're selecting a jury for

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one political assassination attempt while hunting the perpetrator of a

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successful political assassination. Twelve jurors and six alternates were seated

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yesterday in West Palm Beach Federal Court. The selection process

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was remarkable for how difficult it was to find impartial jurors.

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Over one hundred potential jurors were dismissed. Why because everyone

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has an opinion about Trump, love him or hate him.

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Everyone has feelings. Finding twelve people who could judge the

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case on facts, not politics took three days. Judge Aileen

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Cannon asked each potential juror, can you set aside your

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personal feelings about Donald Trump and judge this case solely

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on the evidence. You'd be amazed how many said no.

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At least they were honest. The final jury, seven women,

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five men, diverse ages and backgrounds, all said they could

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be impartial. We'll see remember what Ruth did hidden Bush's

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for twelve hours with an AK forty seven waiting to

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shoot Trump left a confession note at the scene, is

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representing himself at trial. This is the same week Charlie

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Kirk was actually assassinated. The parallel is sickening. Routh faces

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life in prison for attempted assassination. Kirk's killer, when caught,

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will face the death penalty in Utah. But here's what

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connects them. Both represent the breakdown of political discourse when

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we can't disagree without violence, when we see opponents as

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enemies to be eliminated, not defeated at the ballot box.

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The trial starts February twenty twenty six. Routh, acting as

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his own attorney, plans to call Trump as a witness.

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Imagine that circus, the would be assassin questioning his intended victim. Meanwhile,

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Kirk's actual assassin is still free. Two cases, one attempted

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political murder, one successful. Both symptoms of the same disease

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eating America alive. We used to disagree without killing each other.

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When did that change? When did political opposition become justification

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for murder? The jury will decide Ruth's fate, but who

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decides America's fate when political violence becomes normalized. We'll be

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right back with updates. From the Kiss and Kill verdict

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watch and the Sunny Bell murder case, now to Wisconsin,

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where the jury continues deliberating in Samantha Kreb's Kiss and

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Kill murder trial. Day six of trial wrapped yesterday with

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the jury requesting to review evidence again. They've now asked

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to see the handwritten murder notes third time, the nine

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to one one call, second time, the insurance documents, second time,

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the autopsy photos showing back wounds. That's not good for Krebs.

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When juries focus on the physical evidence repeatedly, they're usually

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confirming guilt, not finding reasonable doubt. The jury deliberated until

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eight pm yesterday without reaching a verdict. They'll resume this

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morning at nine am. Kreb spent yesterday in court, crying periodically,

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her family in the gallery trying to look supportive, but

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even they seem to know what's coming. The defense made

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a last ditch motion for mistrial, claiming prosecutorial misconduct during

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closing arguments. Judge denied it immediately. There was no misconduct,

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just devastating evidence. Marcus Chen's family was also in court.

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His mother hasn't missed a day. She stares at Kreb's constantly,

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not with hatred with bewilderment, like she's trying to understand

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how someone could plan murder so methodically. My prediction stands

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guilty of first degree intentional homicide. The notes are too damning.

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You can't write call nine one one after ten minutes,

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so he can't be saved and claim self defense. The

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verdict could come today. Krebs faces mandatory life. Wisconsin doesn't

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have the death penalty, which is probably good for her.

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Marcus Chen was thirty one, same age as Charlie Kirk,

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both killed by people who thought violence was the answer.

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Different motives, same result, young men dead before their time. Finally,

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a quick update on the Sunny Bell murder case in Florida.

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Soony Bell twenty two was found dead in her Plantation

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apartment July fourth, twenty twenty four, strangled, sexually assaulted, left

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for dead while her killers went to a pool party.

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Three defendants are charged with murder, Zvante Sampson twenty three,

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Bell's on again, off again boyfriend, Marcus Williams twenty four,

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Samson's friend Derek Thompson twenty two, who allegedly filmed part

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of the assault. The prosecution's theory Samson was angry Bell

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was seeing other people. He recruited his friends to teach

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her a lesson. That lesson turned into murder. Yesterday, the

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prosecution presented text messages between the defendants. Samson to Williams,

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she needs to learn. Williams to Thompson, you bringing your phone.

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Thompson to both, this is going to be wild wild

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murder as entertainment, death as content. The most damaging evidence.

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Tompson's phone had video, not of the murder He's not

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that stupid, but of Bell beforehand, begging them to leave,

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crying scared. The defenses trying to claim Bell invited them

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over that rough sex got out of hand, that her

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death was accidental, accidental strangulation after texting about teaching her

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a lesson. Bell's mother testified yesterday described finding her daughter's body.

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The jury was in tears, several had to take breaks.

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Sunny Bell was twenty two nursing student, wanted to work

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in pediatric oncology, wanted to help kids with cancer. Instead,

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three men decided she needed to learn a lesson. Trial

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continues Monday. All three face life without parole if convicted.

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Three young men who thought violence against women was acceptable,

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who thought murder was entertainment who filmed a woman's fear

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before killing her. This is what we've become. Where political

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opponents are assassinated, where girlfriends are strangled for seeing other people,

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where murder is content for your phone. America, we have

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to do better than this. That. Celebrity trials for Friday,

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September twelfth. This week started with Labor Day family massacres

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and ended with political assassination. In between, we covered mothers

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killing babies, nurses killing patients, and girlfriends killing boyfriends. But

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Wednesday's assassination of Charlie Kirk feels different. It's another line crossed,

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another norm shattered, another sign that we're losing the ability

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to disagree without violence. I didn't like Charlie Kirk's politics,

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but I mourn his death because when we start killing

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each other over political disagreements, democracy dies too. This weekend

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we'll examine how we got here. Saturday, a look at

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political violence in America from Lincoln to Kirk. Sunday, the

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psychology of assassination and why it's escalating. I'm read Carter,

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Charlie Kirk is dead at thirty one, his killer free,

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and somewhere in America someone is probably planning the next

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political murder. We have to stop this. We have to

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be better. We have to remember that our political opponents

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are human beings, not targets. Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.

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Your death diminishes us all. See you tomorrow