Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Charged With Aggravated Murder—Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty

Topline

Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was charged Tuesday with aggravated murder after Robinson reportedly confessed to the attack in online messages and turned himself in to law enforcement.

Key Facts

Robinson, 22, faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violence offense in the presence of a child, Utah County attorney Jeff Gray announced Tuesday.

Gray said he would seek the death penalty for Robinson in the case.

This is a developing story.

What To Watch For

Robinson is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 5 p.m. EDT for a preliminary hearing, according to the Utah County Attorney’s office.

Key Background

Robinson was taken into custody last week after he suggested to a family member he had fatally shot Kirk, who appeared at Utah Valley University as part of a nationwide tour, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. The Washington Post reported Monday that Robinson messaged friends in a group chat on Sept. 11, a day after the shooting, indicating “it was me at UVU yesterday” and that he would soon surrender to a “sheriff friend.” FBI Director Kash Patel said DNA evidence recovered near the shooting was “positively processed” for Robinson, and that Robinson had written a note which read, “I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Officials have yet to reveal a motive in the attack, though Trump has claimed the “radical left” was “directly responsible” for Kirk’s death, and Vice President JD Vance has said “left-wing extremism” is “part of the reason” Kirk was killed.

What Do We Know About Tyler Robinson?

Robinson grew up in Washington County in southwestern Utah, about 260 miles south of the shooting location. He attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021 and was a pre-engineering major, the university told Forbes in a statement. Robinson was a third-year student in an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George, Utah, a spokesperson for Utah Valley University told CNN. He lived with a roommate whom Cox identified as a “boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female,” and noted this person was “very cooperative with authorities.” A family member told law enforcement that Robinson had “become more political in recent years,” though before that had appeared to be a “very normal young man, a very smart young man,” Cox said. Voting records indicate Robinson was unaffiliated with any party and that he was considered “inactive,” suggesting he did not vote in the 2024 presidential election. Cox said Robinson came from a conservative family, but his “ideology was very different from his family.”

Further Reading