Charlie Kirk Shooting: Tyler Robinson Charged With Murder & Faces Court For First Time

Prosecutors have brought forward an aggravated murder charge against the alleged shooter of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, and say text messages obtained from the alleged shooter’s roommate have become vital evidence in his motivations.

Turning Point USA founder and a prominent Trump ally, Kirk was fatally shot during a live campus event at Utah Valley University on Friday September 10, with the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson currently being held without bail as he faces seven charges, including obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Robinson’s romantic partner and roommate supplied investigators with text messages between the pair following the attack. Robinson’s conservative mother told police her son’s roommate is trans, with Gray describing them as a “a biological male who was transitioning genders.”

The roommate is cooperating with investigators.

Prosecutors are alleging that Robinson described in a text message how he spent more than a week planning the attack, and in another instructed his roommate towards a note hidden under a keyboard that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.”

Another message from Robinson read, “I am still ok my love, but I’m stuck in Orem a little while longer. I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I’m sorry to involve you.”

Asked why he made the decision to shoot Kirk, Robinson wrote the he had “had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

Between the texts, a photographed note, and forensic evidence from the rifle, prosecutors say they can tie Robinson directly to the killing.

The 22-year-old appeared before a judge via video link from jail on Tuesday, wearing a green protective vest some reporters are describing as an anti-suicide smock.

He was expressionless as the judge read his charges, and spoke only once, when asked to state his name.

Officials warn against making trans community a focus point of shooting

Conservative media outlets have been highlighting Robinson’s relationship with his roommate, with some reporting suggesting the shooting may have been motivated by “transgender ideology”.

Seconds before he was shot, a member of the audience asked Kirk, “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” to which he replied, “Too many”.

Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan data collection and research group, report about 0.1 per cent of shootings over the past decade have allegedly been carried out by people who are trans.

During the press conference on Tuesday, a Fox News reporter asked whether Gray had “any indication that transgender issues played a role in the motivations” of Kirk’s murder, with the prosecutor declining to provide further information.

“That is for a jury to decide,” he said. “I’m going to stick to what I just stated in my public… our information, I think that is pretty much set forth there.”

Prosecutors are alleging that Kirk’s mother told investigators her son had in the last year become “more political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans rights oriented”.

“This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views,” investigators said.

Previous reporting alleged that bullets recovered from the scene were engraved with “transgender ideology”, with authorities allegedly mistaking the headstamp on the ammunition, reading “TRN” for trans-related messages.

“Remember how I was engraving bullets?” one of the text messages from Robinson is alleged to read. “The fucking messages are mostly a big meme. If I see ‘notice bulge uwu’ on Fox News I might have a stroke.”

Media watchdogs and LGBTQIA+ advocates say that fixating on the transgender identity of the roommate is misleading and stigmatising, with Utah officials also warning against conflating the alleged shooter’s identity with broader ideology.