Tyler Robinson left roommate a note under keyboard confessing to the crime, investigators say
Utah authorities to seek death penalty against Charlie Kirk shooting suspect
Authorities in Utah will seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on a college campus. At a Tuesday news conference announcing charges against Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray called Kirk’s death ‘an American tragedy’ and said Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger of the gun used to kill Kirk.
Prosecutors brought a murder charge on Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence including a text message confession to his roommate and a note left beforehand that said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”
The aggravated murder charge means Tyler Robinson, 22, could face the death penalty if convicted of killing Kirk last week at Utah Valley University.
“I do not take this decision lightly and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told a news conference on Tuesday in announcing the intent to seek capital punishment.
Kirk was shot dead on Wednesday as he spoke with students on campus in Orem, about 64 kilometres south of Salt Lake City. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building.
Charlie Kirk speaks during a town hall meeting on March 17 in Wisconsin. (Jeffrey Phelps/The Associated Press)
A Utah Valley University police officer was watching the university campus crowd from an “elevated position” and identified the roof of the Losee Center as a potential position for a shooter, Gray said. The officer found evidence on the roof immediately, he said, and spurred officers to direct their attention to surveillance video leading to the roof.
Documents said Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate, with whom he also had a romantic relationship, to conceal evidence. Robinson left a note under a keyboard saying he planned to kill Kirk and confessed after the shooting, the documents show.
Robinson also was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He was scheduled to appear on camera for a virtual court hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Utah prosecutor outlines charges in Charlie Kirk killing
At a news conference on Tuesday, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced charges against the 22-year-old man accused in the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Gray said he would file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty after announcing aggravated murder and other charges against Tyler Robinson.
There was no attorney listed in the Utah online court docket for Robinson, even after charges were filed. Gray said the accused is being held in county jail without bail.
Robinson appears to have stayed in the area after shooting Kirk and ditching his rifle, authorities said.
‘I had hoped to keep this secret,’ Robinson wrote
In a text exchange with his roommate released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”
Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” And after that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”
The texts shared in court documents do not have timestamps, and it’s unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.
In the texts, the person listed as “roommate” asked Robinson why he did it. He responded: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Robinson also showed signs he believed he would get away with the killing, texting that he had “hoped to keep this secret till [sic] I died of old age” and that it wouldn’t “be long” until he was back home.
An information sheet filed in Utah County District Court shows part of an undated text exchange between Tyler Robinson and his roommate after Charlie Kirk was killed. (Provo District Court/Handout via Reuters)
Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of U.S. President Donald Trump after co-founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA in 2012, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young conservative evangelical Christians into politics. His killing has raised fears about increasing political violence in a deeply polarized United States.
Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up.
Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and carried out a search warrant at his family’s home in Washington, Utah, about 390 kilometres southwest of where the shooting happened.
While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said over the weekend that those who know Robinson say his politics shifted left in recent years and he spent a lot of time in the “dark corners of the internet.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, Patel said Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.
“We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.
The search for a motive
Prosecutors at Tuesday’s press conference, however, did not provide evidence around “dark corners of the internet,” saying instead that Robinson’s parents described him as moving left politically and “becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.”
Cox said Robinson’s romantic partner was transgender, which some politicians have pointed to as a sign the suspect was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views. But authorities have not said whether that played a role. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.
Utah governor says suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting became ‘radicalized’ September 14
Authorities are sharing new details about Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Utah’s governor described him as a smart young man who became radicalized. His alleged actions continue to fuel political division across the U.S.
Gray declined to answer a question about whether transgender issues played a role in the motive behind Kirk’s shooting. He pointed to the charging documents, saying they summed up those points.
The charges carry two enhancements including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.
In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.
Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonoured him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work. (AP)
