Tyler Robinson, the accused murderer of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, was charged with aggravated murder on Tuesday, along with 6 other charges, and the prosecution announced they would seek the death penalty. Kirk’s assassination on September 10th, 2025, at Utah Valley University left the entire country shocked.
The 22-year-old suspect left evidence collected by investigators, including DNA on the suspected murder weapon, a text confession to his partner, and a note he left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it.”
Authorities have shared that there was no clear motive in the shooting. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said that Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who was transgender. The partner has been cooperating with investigators and appeared shocked throughout the text exchange after the shooting. The partner asked Robinson, “Why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”
When Robinson’s parents recognized him in the photos after the shooting, they told him to turn himself in and surrender. Robinson’s mother shared that their son’s political opinions quickly shifted left in the last year, becoming an ally of lgbtq+ rights. Robinson had very different political views from his father, whom Robinson referred to as a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.
The family discussed Robinson turning himself in, and his parents “convinced” him to speak with their friend, a retired deputy sheriff, according to the filing. “The family friend met with Robinson and his parents and convinced Robinson to turn himself in.”
The family friend told police he encouraged Robinson to bring evidence with him when he surrendered to avoid a police search of his parents’ home, and said Robinson told him he had disposed of the clothes he wore during the attack, the charging document says.
