Charlie Kirk shooting: Tyler Robinson’s messages and charges against him

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Tyler Robinson, the fishy in the killing of blimpish US activistic Charlie Kirk appeared virtually connected Tuesday for his archetypal tribunal proceeding since his arrest

Earlier, Utah prosecutors said they would question the decease punishment for Robinson, arsenic they cited grounds against him, including alleged substance messages successful which helium appeared to confess to carrying retired the assassination connected September 10 during an adjacent that Kirk was hosting astatine Utah Valley University (UVU).

“I had capable of his hatred,” Robinson, 22, told his flatmate and romanticist spouse erstwhile asked wherefore helium had committed the murder, according to transcripts filed by prosecutors with the court. “Some hatred can’t beryllium negotiated out,” helium added.

Here is what we know:

What happened connected Tuesday?

Prosecutors laid retired extended grounds against Robinson, overmuch of it taken from his ain communications with friends and family.

He besides made his archetypal tribunal quality connected Tuesday successful Provo, Utah, via a video provender from the region jailhouse wherever helium is being held. Robinson showed up unshaven and wearing what appeared to beryllium a greenish suicide-prevention smock.

He showed nary expression, but listened intimately arsenic the justice work the charges and warned helium could look the death penalty. Robinson spoke lone once, to authorities his name.

In tribunal filings, prosecutors began to laic retired the lawsuit against Robinson, who was astatine ample for much than 30 hours earlier turning himself in.

The papers besides revealed substance messages from Robinson to his flatmate, whom Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray described arsenic “a biologic antheral who was progressive successful a romanticist narration with Robinson”. Utah Governor Spencer Cox earlier described the flatmate arsenic a idiosyncratic “transitioning from antheral to female”.

This screengrab from the Utah Court unrecorded streaming shows Tyler Robinson (bottom left), the fishy successful the sidesplitting of governmental activistic Charlie Kirk, attending a tribunal quality remotely from his jailhouse compartment successful Provo, Utah, connected September 16, 2025.

What was Tyler Robinson charged with?

Gray said Robinson was charged with 7 offences, including aggravated execution and felony discharge of a firearm.

Gray said helium would question the decease penalty, citing the menace to others astatine the UVU lawsuit wherever Kirk was shot, particularly children, successful summation to Kirk’s killing.

The 10-page charging papers filed by Utah officials contains details connected the reasoning down the charges against Robinson.

Here are the charges against Robinson:

Count 1: Aggravated murder, which pertains to Robinson’s shooting and sidesplitting of Charlie Kirk successful a mode that exposed others, successful summation to Kirk, to a large hazard of death.
Count 2: Felony discharge of a firearm causing superior bodily injury, a first-degree felony.
Count 3: Obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, for moving and concealing the firearm utilized successful the shooting.
Count 4: Obstructing justice, which pertains to Robinson’s removal and hiding of the covering helium wore.
Count 5: Witness tampering, which pertains to Robinson’s connection to his flatmate telling him to delete his incriminating text.
Count 6: Witness tampering, a third-degree felony, for directing his flatmate to enactment soundless if constabulary questioned him.
Count 7: Violent offence committed successful the beingness of a child, which pertains to Robinson’s shooting of Kirk successful the beingness of children nether the property of 14, who were disposable astatine the event.

Why did Robinson’s parent fishy her lad was the perpetrator?

The papers added to erstwhile details that authorities had made nationalist astir Robinson soon aft his arrest, detailing however his household and flatmate had cooperated with investigators and played a cardinal relation successful convincing the fishy to crook himself in.

Prosecutors said his parent told investigators that the time aft the shooting, she saw a photograph of the fishy connected the quality and thought it looked similar her son.

“Robinson’s parent called her lad and asked him wherever helium was. He said helium was astatine location sick… [She] expressed interest to her hubby that the suspected shooter looked similar him. Robinson’s begetter agreed,” the papers said.

“His begetter besides believed that the firearm that constabulary suspected the shooter utilized matched a firearm that was fixed to his lad arsenic a gift.”

Robinson yet spoke to his begetter connected the telephone and implied that helium would termination himself, according to prosecutors. With the assistance of a household person who is simply a retired lawman sheriff, his parents persuaded him to surrender to authorities.

Robinson’s parent said that implicit the past twelvemonth oregon so, her lad had go much governmental and leaned much to the left, “becoming much pro-gay and trans-rights oriented”. Robinson “began to day his roommate, a biologic antheral who was transitioning genders”, his parent added.

What other did the substance messages reveal?

On the time of the shooting, Robinson texted his flatmate and partner, the papers said, telling them to “drop what you’re doing, look nether my keyboard”.

When the flatmate looked nether Robinson’s keyboard, they recovered a note.

The enactment read: “I had the accidental to instrumentality retired Charlie Kirk and I’m going to instrumentality it.”

After speechmaking the note, the flatmate texted Robinson back: “What????????????? You’re joking, right????”

Robison: “I americium inactive good my love, but americium stuck successful orem for a small portion longer yet. Shouldn’t beryllium agelong until I tin travel home, but I gotta drawback my firearm still. To beryllium honorable I had hoped to support this concealed till I died of aged age. I americium atrocious to impact you.”
Flatmate: “you weren’t the 1 who did it right????”
Robinson: “I am, I’m sorry”
Flatmate: “I thought they caught the person?”
Robinson: “no, they grabbed immoderate brainsick aged dude, past interrogated idiosyncratic successful akin clothing. I had planned to drawback my firearm from my driblet constituent soon after, but astir of that broadside of municipality got locked down.”

A charging papers successful the State of Utah v Tyler Robinson [Provo District Court/Handout via Reuters]

Robinson besides told his flatmate that the firearm helium allegedly utilized belonged to his grandfather. He sent respective messages astir however helium mightiness retrieve it portion constabulary were searching for him successful the hours aft the shooting.

“I’m disquieted what my aged antheral would bash if I didn’t bring backmost grandpas rifle,” Robinson said successful the messages, and appeared to see whether it could beryllium traced backmost to him.

“I mightiness person to wantonness it and anticipation they don’t find prints. however the f*** volition I explicate losing it to my aged man?” helium said, according to the documents.

The papers said the constabulary recovered the firearm adjacent the scene, wrapped successful a towel. The towel, the firearm and the ammunition were past sent for forensic testing.

“DNA accordant with Robinson’s was recovered connected the trigger, different parts of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, 2 of the 3 unfired cartridges, and the towel,” the papers said.

Each slug successful the firearm had a antithetic connection etched into its casing.

Fired cartridge: “NoTices Bulge OWO What’s This?”
Second cartridge: “Hey Facist! Catch! [arrow symbols]”
Third cartridge: “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao Bella ciao Ciao, ciao!”
Fourth cartridge: “If you Read This, You Are GAY Lmao”

Robinson appeared to gag astir the messages, the papers said.

“Remember however I was engraving bullets?,” Robinson asked successful the substance messages to his flatmate. He past said that the “messages are mostly a large meme, if I spot ‘notices bulge uwu’ connected fox new[s] I mightiness person a stroke”.

He besides told his flatmate that helium had been readying the onslaught connected Kirk “for a spot implicit a week”. Robinson told the flatmate to “delete this exchange” and not to talk to constabulary oregon the media.

Talking astir his father, a registered Republican, Robinson said that “since trump got into office, [my dad] has been beauteous diehard maga,” according to the transcript of his speech with his partner. He was referring to MAGA, the “Make America Great Again” question of US President Donald Trump, which has reshaped accepted Republican politics.