Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, has been formally charged with a slew of offenses, including aggravated murder, with prosecutors announcing the intent to seek the death penalty.
Robinson, 22, has also been charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced on Tuesday.
Gray, who described Kirk’s death as “an American tragedy,” said he does not “take this decision lightly” in regard to seeking the death penalty for Robinson. The suspected shooter will continue to be held without bail.
Robinson made his first appearance in court virtually on Tuesday, where a judge read off the suspect’s charges. He will remain in custody.
He only said his name during the hearing and showed no emotion as the charges were read.
His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29. Robinson was expected to have an attorney by that time.
Robinson was arrested last week for felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to probable cause documents, and was booked into the Utah County Jail.
Suspect allegedly confessed to killing Kirk, said there is ‘too much evil’
Robinson was apprehended on the evening of Sept. 11 after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said last week.
“Robinson’s father reported that when his wife showed him the surveillance image of the suspected shooter in the news, he agreed it looked like their son,” according to the charging documents.
The suspect’s father also believed the rifle police “suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift,” the charging documents said.
Thus, his father reached out to the 22-year-old, asking him to “send a photo of the rifle,” to which Robinson did not respond, the charging documents said.
When his father called Robinson, he implied he planned to “take his own life,” with his parents convincing him to meet them at their home, the charging documents said.
“As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it,” the charging documents said.
His parents then asked their son why he committed this crime, to which he said “there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate,” according to the charging documents.
The suspect’s parents urged Robinson to speak with a family friend who is a deputy sheriff, who convinced him to turn himself in, charging documents said.
Exactly what Robinson was allegedly referring to by “hate” was not clear. Investigators noted that Robinson’s mom told them that her son allegedly began having a relationship with his roommate, who is transitioning, and had begun leaning to the left more politically, becoming “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” but the document does not indicate the relevance of those stances or whether Kirk’s remarks about those issues were a motivating factor.
Gray said he would let a judge determine whether the statements allegedly made constituted a confession. He declined to comment on whether Robinson has been cooperating or spoken to investigators.
Robinson allegedly told roommate he had ‘enough of his hatred’
On the day of the shooting, the roommate received a text message from the 22-year-old that said, “drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” according to charging documents.
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The roommate found a note underneath Robinson’s keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to charging documents.
Prosecutors also revealed additional conversations between the suspect and his roommate after the shooting.
“I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” one of the messages read.
Robinson’s roommate asked how long he had been planning this attack, to which he said “a little over a week I believe,” according to charging documents.
He also shared with his roommate that he was going to turn himself in, the charging documents said.
Investigators are continuing to assess evidence, including looking at electronic devices the suspect may have had access to, as federal charges could be announced in the coming days, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday on Fox News that federal authorities are “not in a rush” to bring federal charges to Robinson, as that “takes time to develop.”
A motive has not been revealed by officials, despite Vice President JD Vance saying “left-wing extremism” is “part of the reason” Kirk was killed.
Suspect’s messages on Discord
Discord, a group chat messaging platform, confirmed on Monday that Robinson sent messages two hours before he was taken into custody admitting he shot the conservative influencer.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all…It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this,” one of the messages read.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is investigating “anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat.”
Patel said there are “a lot more” than 20 people linked to Robinson on Discord and that the FBI is “running them all down.” He added that a “number of individuals” are currently being investigated.
Robinson participated in at least two group chats discussing Kirk’s killing, the messaging platform confirmed.
In a press briefing from the Oval Office Monday evening, President Donald Trump said it appeared Robinson became radicalized on the internet.
“Something happened to him over a fairly short period of time. It looks like he was radicalized over the internet, and it’s radicalized on the left. He’s a left,” Trump claimed.
Robinson is alleged to have had an “obsession” with the conservative influencer, based on the alleged shooter’s digital footprint, FBI Co-Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday on Fox News.
Bongino said the suspect appeared to have exhibited “multiple warning signs.”
“I believe co-workers stated he had detached himself when the topic of politics came up and walked away,” Bongino said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”
Bongino said they are looking into whether anyone knew the shooting could happen and didn’t alert authorities, referring to the Discord chats Robinson allegedly had about Kirk.
“Did they … hear it and think it was a joke? That is what we’re trying to find out now,” he told Fox News. “If there is a larger network here, we will get that out to the public as soon as we can.”
ABC News’ Mike Levine contributed to this report.
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