Utah County prosecutors on Tuesday released text message excerpts they say show the suspect in the Charlie Kirk killing's confession and his attempts to hide evidence.
The defendant, identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, faces charges of aggravated homicide and six other offenses related to the crime that occurred last week. The information was confirmed by Prosecutor Jeff Gray, who detailed that Robinson's communications with his roommate — with whom he had a"romantic relationship," according to the prosecutor's office — were fundamental to filing the charges. Robinson is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. It is not yet clear whether he has legal representation.
According to the prosecutor's statement, on September 10, the roommate received a text message from Robinson that read:"Stop what you're doing and look under my keyboard." There, the roommate found a note that read:"I had the opportunity to eliminate Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take advantage of it." Authorities did not release the times the messages were sent.
When asked if it was a joke, Robinson reportedly responded with several messages: “I’m still okay, love, but I’m stuck in Orem for a while longer. I’ll be home soon, but I still have to pick up my rifle. To be honest, I was hoping to keep this a secret until I died of old age. Sorry to involve you.”
His confused partner asked,"You weren't the one who did it, were you?" Robinson reportedly replied,"Yes, it was me. Sorry."
The accused youth further explained that authorities had detained “a crazy old man” and questioned someone wearing clothing similar to his. In another message, he wrote: “I was planning to pick up my rifle from the drop-off point shortly after, but most of that area of town was blocked off.” When questioned about his reasons, Robinson allegedly replied: “I’d had enough of your hatred. Some hatreds can’t be negotiated.”
The document states that Robinson stated that, “if he could have retrieved the rifle unnoticed, he wouldn’t have left any evidence.” He also said that “he hoped authorities had moved on by now and that he would try to retrieve it again.” The defendant also admitted to planning the attack “for a little over a week.” After the crime, he left the weapon — a Mauser Model 98 bolt-action rifle — in a wooded area near Utah Valley University, where Kirk was participating in an event.
In the messages, Robinson expressed concern about returning the rifle to his grandfather to avoid suspicion: “I don’t even know if it had a serial number, but I wouldn’t be traced. I’m worried about fingerprints; I had to leave it in a bush where I changed clothes. I didn’t have the skill or time to bring it with me. I might have to abandon it and hope they don’t find my fingerprints.” He also referred to the inscriptions found on several bullets, which he called “a great meme.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox previously confirmed that at least four bullets were found with engraved messages, including: “Hey fascist! Get me! ↑ → ↓↓↓,” an apparent reference to a video game. In another message, Robinson cited family tensions, writing that “since Trump took office, my father has become a die-hard MAGA fan.”
The texts also reveal that Robinson asked his partner to delete the conversations and not speak to the press. He even mentioned that he would turn himself in: “I will turn myself in voluntarily; one of my neighbors is a sheriff’s deputy (…) The only thing I’m worried about is you, love.” In another fragment, he advised: “If the police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and remain silent.”
Gov. Cox said the roommate has fully cooperated with investigators and had no prior knowledge of Robinson's plans."What we've learned is that this person didn't know anything and was shocked when they found out," he said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press.
