Tyler Robinson, the alleged killer of right-wing organizer and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, has been charged with seven counts, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. Utah County Attorney Attorney Jeff Gray said in announcing the charges that prosecutors would seek the death penalty.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said on Tuesday. “Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights.”
“I’m filing notice of intent to seek the death penalty,” Gray added. “I do not make this decision lightly, and it’s one I’ve made as county attorney based solely on evidence and circumstances of the crime.”
Robinson appeared virtually in court for the first time later on Tuesday.
Robinson, 22, is suspected of shooting and killing Kirk last week during an event at Utah Valley University. Robinson was arrested after a two-day manhunt during which the FBI interrogated and released at least two other persons of interest in the shooting. Robinson was ultimately turned into authorities by his family, who recognized him from photos released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Gray said Tuesday that he initially denied he was the person in the pictures when confronted by his mother, before he ultimately turned himself in along with his parents and a family friend.
Gray said Tuesday that Robinson’s mother told investigators that Robinson had become “more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” as Gray put it. “She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders,” Gray said, adding that the roommate told police that Robinson messaged them about the shooting, and that the roommate turned over the messages to authorities.
Gray said that on Sept. 10, Robinson messaged the roommate telling them to look under his keyboard. The roommate found a note under the keyboard that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.” The roommate asked Robinson if he was joking, and Robinson eventually said that he wasn’t and that he was the one who killed Kirk. When the roommate asked Robinson why he did it, Robinson replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence.”
According to Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah), investigators recovered a “high-powered bolt-action rifle” they believe was used in the shooting, as well as bullets with various inscriptions appearing to reference video games and online memes.
“Inscriptions on a fired casing read ‘notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this, question mark.’ Inscriptions on the unfired casings read, ‘Hey fascist! Catch!’ up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols. A second unfired casing read, ‘O, bella ciao, bella ciao, bella biao, ciao, ciao,’ and a third unfired casing read, ‘If you read this, you are gay, LMAO,’” Cox reported.
On Monday, the FBI said that they had further linked Robinson to the assassination via a positive DNA match to a towel found wrapped around the rifle allegedly used in the shooting, and a screwdriver near the snipers nest. FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News on Monday that Robinson had said he was going to kill Kirk in a text message, and a “destroyed” note that the bureau was able to reconstruct, but has not been made public.
