The 22-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk said in text messages to his romantic partner that he had “had enough of his hatred” and that “some hate can’t be negotiated out,” according to prosecutors who filed a murder charge against the suspect on Tuesday.
The text message exchange between the suspect, Tyler Robinson, and his romantic partner provides the clearest explanation yet into a motivation for the killing of Mr. Kirk, a conservative political activist.
Mr. Robinson was charged with aggravated murder on Tuesday, as well as several crimes related to his direction to his partner to delete “incriminating” text messages and not to talk to the police. No lawyer is listed for Mr. Robinson in court records.
A charging document filed by prosecutors in court said that Mr. Robinson’s mother told investigators that her son had grown more political, and that his political views had moved to the left over the last year or so. She also told the police that he had become “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.” Mr. Robinson’s partner, who was living with him, had been transitioning to being a woman from a man, prosecutors said.
The text exchange between Mr. Robinson and his partner was reproduced by prosecutors in the charging document. It showed that Mr. Robinson had texted his partner shortly after the shooting on Wednesday about a note left under his keyboard, which read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
The partner reacted with shock, asking him if he was joking. “You weren’t the one who did it right????” the partner wrote. “I am, I’m sorry,” Mr. Robinson responded.
When Mr. Robinson’s partner asked why he had done it, Mr. Robinson wrote: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” Mr. Robinson then texted about trying to grab his rifle from where he had left it, near the scene.
Mr. Robinson was raised by Republican parents in southwestern Utah, a conservative stronghold. In the text messages to his partner, Mr. Robinson mentioned that his father “has been pretty die-hard MAGA” since President Trump had been re-elected.
A series of phrases were etched into ammunition found with the rifle, prosecutors said, including “Hey Fascist! Catch!” on a fired cartridge and “If you Read This, You Are GAY Lmao” on one of three unfired cartridges. In the text message exchange, Mr. Robinson said the messages were “mostly a big meme.”
He said that he “had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age,” and apologized for involving his partner. Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah has said that the authorities believe Mr. Robinson acted alone, and that Mr. Robinson’s partner was cooperating with the police.
The text messages are illuminating, but they do not show Mr. Robinson discussing which specific views of Mr. Kirk’s he found to be hateful. Jeff Gray, the Utah County attorney, was asked directly at a news conference on Tuesday whether transgender issues played a role in the shooting. When he was shot, Mr. Kirk was answering a question about shootings carried out by transgender people.
“I’m going to stick to what I just stated in our” court documents, Mr. Gray said. “I think that is pretty much set forth there.”
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national stories across the United States with a focus on criminal justice. He is from upstate New York.
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