The man accused of killing right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk appeared in person in a US court for the first time.
Tyler Robinson looked on calmly as lawyers discussed procedural issues surrounding what is expected to be one of the most keenly watched trials in modern America.
The 22-year-old wore a light shirt and a tie in the Utah court. The judge ruled at an earlier hearing that he did not have to appear in court in prison garb.
Mr Kirk was shot dead on a Utah college campus in September, sparking a wave of grief among conservatives, and threats of a clampdown on the "radical left" from US President Donald Trump.
Following a massive manhunt, Mr Robinson was arrested the day after the 10 September killing when his family persuaded him to hand himself in because they had recognised him in photographs issued by investigators.
He faces the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder.
Authorities say Mr Robinson shot Mr Kirk from a rooftop across the campus of Utah Valley University because of the influential activist's views.
In their charging documents, prosecutors included electronic writings in which Mr Robinson was alleged to have privately confessed to the murder in an exchange of texts with his roommate.
In one part of the exchange, the roommate, who was not named, asked Mr Robinson why he had killed Mr Kirk.
"I had enough of his hatred," Mr Robinson is alleged to have written. "Some hate can't be negotiated out."
Mr Kirk, a father of two, used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for conservative talking points.
In the wake of the killing, a number of people lost their jobs after criticism from conservatives over what they posted online or said publicly about Mr Kirk.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended from his show on the ABC network following government pressure after he said Mr Trump's MAGA movement was trying to make political capital from the killing.
