Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, made his first court appearance in Utah on Tuesday afternoon.
Robinson appeared virtually and sat emotionless as the judge read the charges and covered other court matters.
“Charlie Kirk’s murderer just made his first appearance in court wearing a suicide vest and with an expressionless, non-remorseful look on his face as he has his charges read to him. The face of evil,” Conservative figure Greg Price wrote on X.
The Utah County attorney revealed that Robinson has been charged with seven crimes, and the death penalty will be sought:
– Count 1: Aggravated murder (capital offense)
– Count 2: Felony reckless discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury
– Count 3: Felony obstruction of justice for hiding the firearm
– Count 4: Felony obstruction of justice for discarding the clothing he wore during the shooting
– Count 5: Witness tampering for asking roommate to DELETE incriminating messages
– Count 6: Witness tampering for demanding the transgender roommate to stay silent, and NOT speak to the police
– Count 7: Commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child
Prosecutors in Utah also filed a pre-trial protective order on behalf of Erika Kirk.
Before his court appearance on Tuesday, reports indicated that Robinson had declined to cooperate with law enforcement.
“He has not confessed to authorities,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said during an interview on ABC News. “He is not cooperating, but all the people around him are cooperating, and I think that’s very important.”
The alleged gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested by the FBI late Thursday evening after a 33-hour manhunt. Law enforcement officials have said Robinson implied involvement in the shooting to a family member, who alerted a family friend, who then contacted authorities.
Cox said investigators are learning more about Robinson through extensive interviews with his family and friends. He said forensic evidence would be presented when charges are filed on Tuesday.
The governor also confirmed Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who has been fully cooperating with investigators.
“We do know that the roommate that we had originally talked about, we can confirm that that roommate is a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female,” Cox said in a separate interview with NBC’s Meet the Press. “So we know that piece. I will say that that person has been very cooperative with authorities.”
Robinson’s motive has not yet been determined. But Cox said the suspect had clashed politically with his conservative family and had become more outspoken in recent years.
“The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10, and in the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU [Utah Valley University],” Cox said Friday. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had. The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
Despite Robinson’s silence with authorities, Discord messages obtained by major news outlets reveal he admitted to his friends online shortly before his capture.
According to screenshots reviewed by The Washington Post, Robinson posted a series of messages in a private Discord chat with about 30 friends.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” Robinson allegedly wrote. “It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m sorry for all of this.”
“I’m surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments. thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything.”
The posts came Thursday evening, about two hours before Robinson was taken into custody.
Screenshots reviewed by the Post also show how members of Robinson’s private gaming chat reacted in real time as news of Kirk’s shooting spread on Wednesday.
“Charlie Kirk got shot,” one user wrote.
“I just saw the video holy s—. Bro didn’t deserve to go out like that sad,” another replied.
Robinson’s account stayed quiet until the next day, when he posted the “bad news” confession.
Discord confirmed to reporters that the company shared Robinson’s messages with the FBI and local law enforcement. The platform said its own review found “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.”
Authorities continue to investigate Robinson’s background, with Cox saying initial findings suggest the suspect held a “leftist ideology” and had been critical of Kirk.
