Tyler Robinson allegedly wrote, ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.’
The man accused of murdering conservative influencer Charlie Kirk confessed to the killing in text messages, authorities said on Sept. 16.
They also said he left a note under his keyboard stating that he was going to kill Kirk.
The suspect, Tyler Robinson, contacted his partner and roommate—a male transitioning to female—on Sept. 10, hours after Kirk was shot during a talk at Utah Valley University, authorities said on Tuesday.
“Drop what you’re doing. Look under my keyboard,” Robinson wrote in a text, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said during a news conference. The roommate looked and allegedly found a note that stated, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.”
Robinson then conveyed that he was stuck in Orem, where Kirk was shot. He said that he wanted to return to his home after retrieving his rifle. “I had hoped to keep this secret until I died of old age. I am sorry to have involved you,” he allegedly wrote.
“You weren’t the one who did it, right?” the roommate asked, according to Gray. “I am. I’m sorry,” Robinson allegedly replied.
The roommate asked Robinson why he did it. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” he said, according to Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigations in a filing dated Sept. 16.
Robinson was charged on Sept. 16 with aggravated murder, in addition to other crimes.
His roommate has not been charged. Robinson had urged the roommate to delete the incriminating messages, but he kept them and showed law enforcement, according to authorities.
Robinson’s mother, when she first saw a picture of the suspect in the shooting, thought it looked like her son. She showed it to her husband, who agreed, Gray said.
Robinson’s mother later conveyed that over the last year, Robinson had become more political and started to lean to the left, expressing more beliefs supportive of gay and transgender people, according to Gray. He began to date his roommate, and engaged in discussions with family members about various topics.
In one conversation, Robinson mentioned that Kirk would be holding an event at Utah Valley University and said it was a “stupid venue” for the event, Gray said. He accused Kirk of spreading hate.
After Robinson’s father saw the surveillance image of the suspect, he asked Robinson to send him a photograph of a rifle Robinson had been gifted. Robinson did not respond, but he did speak to his father over the phone. Robinson suggested he was going to commit suicide, but his parents convinced him to meet with them at their home, authorities said.
During the meeting, Robinson implied he was the shooter and said he could not go to jail. Robinson then allegedly told his parents, when asked why he shot Kirk, that Kirk “spreads too much hate.”
Robinson’s parents and a family friend who is a retired deputy sheriff spoke to Robinson, who eventually agreed to turn himself in, authorities said.
Evidence supporting the charges include DNA consistent with Robinson’s being found on the trigger of a rifle that is believed to have been used to shoot Kirk, and that police found nearby, Davis said.
Robinson had phrases etched on the cartridges that he used or carried with him, including “If you read this, you are GAY,” according to authorities.
Robinson was set to appear before a judge in Utah court for the first time, to be informed of the charges against him and to make sure he has an attorney representing him, officials said. Robinson will appear remotely via video from jail.
