The man suspected of killing conservative media personality Charlie Kirk at a Utah university could face the death penalty, having now been officially charged with aggravated murder and various other charges.
Tyler James Robinson, 22, was charged on Tuesday in the Fourth Judicial District Court of Utah County, Utah, and faces the counts of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, tampering with a witness, and violent offense committed in the presence of a child.
According to court documents, his mother told investigators that over the past year or so, Robinson, who grew up in a Republican family, "started to lean more to the left — becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented."
Robinson was also allegedly dating his roommate, "a biological male who was transitioning genders." The document states that Robinson and his father have "very different political views."
The trans-identified roommate, identified as 22-year-old Lance Twiggs, cooperated with authorities. He directed investigators to a note Robinson left him that he found after the shooting occured. Robinson stated in the note, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it."
When Twiggs apparently sent a text message to Robinson expressing shock at the admission and stating that he had heard in the news that authorities arrested a person of interest, Robinson responded that police "grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing."
"I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down," Robinson wrote. "Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering."
In the text messages exchanged, Robinson said regarding Kirk that he "had enough of his hatred."
"Some hate can't be negotiated out," Robinson allegedly texted his roommate. "If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on."
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray has stated that he intends to pursue the death penalty against Robinson, reports The New York Times.
The co-founder and head of Turning Point USA, Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem last Wednesday when he was fatally shot in the neck.
UVU was put on lockdown while Kirk was rushed to a local hospital. The 31-year-old husband and father of two young children died from his wound shortly after being shot.
Kirk's murder was condemned by people across the political spectrum, with flags being flown at half mast in his memory and multiple public events holding a moment of silence for him.
Last Friday, President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview that "I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him — in custody ... everyone did a great job."
"I hope that he [is] going to be found guilty, I would imagine, and I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump added. "Charlie Kirk was the finest person; he didn't deserve this. He worked so hard and so well. Everybody liked him. I've been watching, even the Left is having a hard time."
Soon after, a press conference headed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed that Robinson had been arrested after a family member had reached out to authorities.
At the press conference, Cox read out the various engravings on the bullet casings, with one having the statement "Hey fascist! Catch!" while another had the repeated statement "Bella Ciao," which likely refers to an Italian ballad known for being an anti-fascist anthem.
Cox also spoke emotionally about the "watershed" moment of Kirk's murder, imploring people of all political persuasions to repudiate political violence and be more civil in disagreements.
"This is our moment. Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?" he said. "Again, it's a choice, it's a choice, and every one of us gets to make that choice.
"It is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us, it is an attack on the American experiment, it is an attack on ideals. This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been, and who we could be in better times."
