Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of killing Charlie Kirk with a single shot at Utah Valley University, officials announced Tuesday.
“I do not take this decision lightly,” Utah County Atty. Jeffrey Gray said during a news conference. “It’s a decision I made independently as county attorney.”
Robinson has been charged with seven counts, Gray said, including one count of aggravated murder and two counts of obstruction of justice, for allegedly hiding the rifle used in the killing and disposing of his clothes.
Robinson is also facing two counts of witness tampering after he allegedly instructed his roommate to delete incriminating texts, and asking them not to talk to investigators if they were questioned by authorities.
Kirk, 31, was an influential figure in conservative and right-wing circles, winning praise for his views on heated topics, including abortion, immigration and gender identity.
His death by a single gunshot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University shocked the nation and has led to vigorous debate over the motivations of his accused killer.
The FBI said it collected a screwdriver containing Robinson’s DNA on the rooftop of a building at Utah Valley University and a firearm wrapped in a towel that had been discarded in a nearby wooded area. The towel also had Robinson’s DNA on it, FBI Director Kash Patel said, adding that the firearm was still being processed for forensic evidence.
As Robinson was set to appear in court for the first time, Patel appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where he faced harsh questioning and criticism over his handling of the agency and the immediate investigation into Kirk’s killing.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee, accused Patel of releasing incorrect information about the shooting in order to take credit for the arrest.
“Director Patel again sparked mass confusion by incorrectly claiming on social media that the shooter was in custody — which he then had to walk back with another social media post,” Durbin said in his opening remarks. “Mr. Patel was so anxious to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk’s assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement: at critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job.”
But Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) defended Patel’s handling of the Kirk probe.
“I’ve seen no reason for the armchair quarterbacks to be criticizing his performance,” Cornyn said. “I mean, it took roughly 33 hours to arrest the killer. And you know, there’s always a certain fog that goes along with emergency situations like this. So I know initially they thought they had their man, but turned out not.”
During the hearing, Patel said investigators had interviewed numerous people tied to Robinson, including relatives, friends and his partner.
Patel confirmed Robinson’s partner was transitioning from male to female.
He added that the source and reasoning behind engravings on the shell casings is still under investigation.
Officials are still examining whether “anyone was involved as an accomplice.”
Agents are also interviewing people who interacted with the suspect online, Patel said.
That includes a Discord chat that seems to have involved more than 20 people moments after the shooting.
“We’re running them all down,” Patel said.
The FBI, he said, is “going to be investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat.”
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