Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old college student suspected in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, was charged on Tuesday afternoon with aggravated murder.
In addition to the capital murder charge, Robinson was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, punishable by up to life in prison, witness tampering, commission of a violent offence in the presence of a child and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Jeff Gray, Utah County Attorney, said at a news conference. “Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights, the bedrock of our democratic republic, the free exchange of ideas and a search for truth, understanding and a more perfect union.
“It is also an offence against the state and to the peace and enjoyment of the people of Utah and of all those who visit here,” Gray added.
He said that he will file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty due to the nature of Robinson’s alleged crimes.
“I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney, based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime,” Gray said.
Robinson, who is being held without bail, made his first court appearance by video link feed from a jail in Spanish Fork, Utah, later on Tuesday.
He at times nodded slightly but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him.
Detailed evidence released
During the press conference, Gray also outlined the allegations of the case, including detailed information gathered by authorities. He said DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Robinson.
Gray said that Robinson’s mother expressed concern to her husband, after seeing the photos released by police of the suspect after the shooting. She said the suspect looked like their son, and her husband agreed, said Gray. The parents also believed the rifle that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to their son as a gift, he said.
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“As a result, Robinson’s father contacted his son and asked him to send a photo of the rifle. Robinson did not respond. However, Robinson’s father spoke on the phone with Robinson. Robinson implied that he planned to take his own life. Robinson’s parents were able to convince him to meet at their home as they discussed the situation,” Gray said.
Gray said when Robinson was asked by his parents why he did it, he said, “there is too much evil in the guy,” referring to Kirk.
“They talked about Robinson turning himself in and convinced Robinson to speak with a family friend who is a retired deputy sheriff,” Gray said.
The family met with the friend and convinced Robinson to turn himself in, Gray said.
“The friend also asked Robinson if he had any clothes that were related to what he did. Robinson replied that he had disposed of the clothes in different areas,” Gray told reporters.
Gray also said that Robinson told his roommate to “drop what you’re doing. Look under my keyboard.”
“The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, quote, ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,'” Gray said.
“Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.”
“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 the court documents do not have timestamps, and it’s unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.
Investigators have been piecing together evidence, including a rifle and ammunition engraved with anti-fascist and meme culture messaging, found after the shooting Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Kirk, who co-founded the Arizona-based conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was speaking at the university during one of his campus visits.
While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been co-operating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was asked on Sunday about alleged Discord messages authorities say Robinson shared with others after the shooting. The New York Times reported that he had communicated about being the gunman after the fatal incident, reportedly sending a message that the suspect looked like his “doppelganger.”
“All we can confirm is that those conversations definitely were happening, and they did not believe it was actually him. It was all joking until he admitted that it actually was him,” Cox said at the time.
Kirk, a conservative political activist and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, died after he was shot in the neck.
Robinson was turned in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on the night of Sept. 11 by a family member and a friend, who allegedly had information that implied Robinson had been involved in the shooting.
It was recently announced that a massive public memorial service for Kirk is scheduled for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., according to Turning Point USA. The stadium can fit roughly 63,000 people.
Turning Point USA, a non-profit founded by Kirk and Bill Montgomery in 2012, shared a post on X announcing the event to honour Kirk’s life.
“Join us in celebrating the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Charlie Kirk, an American legend,” the post read.
— With files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman and Sean Boynton, and The Associated Press
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