The Utah County attorney on Tuesday brought formal charges against the suspected assassin of Charlie Kirk.
Calling Kirk’s assassination an “American tragedy,” Jeff Gray said during a news conference that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, and other crimes.
‘Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one our most sacred and cherished American rights, the bedrock of our democratic republic: the free exchange of ideas in a search for truth, understanding, and a more perfect union.’
Gray previously noted that aggravated murder under Utah law carries a penalty of either death, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or 25 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Gray on Tuesday said he intends to bring the death penalty against Robinson.
As for the aggravated murder charge, Gray added Tuesday that the suspect “intentionally or knowingly” caused Kirk’s death “under circumstances that created a great risk of death to others.”
Officials previously said felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury carries a penalty of five years to life in prison.
Gray on Tuesday said the state is alleging in regard to the latter two charges “aggravating factors” because it’s believed that Robinson “targeted” Kirk because of the TPUSA founder’s “political expression” and knew that children were present at the scene and would “witness the homicide.”
Other charges include:
- One count of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, for “moving and concealing the rifle used in the shooting.”
- One count of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, for “disposing [of] the clothing he wore during the shooting.”
- One count of witness tampering, a third-degree felony, for directing his roommate to “delete his incriminating texts.”
- One count of witness tampering, a third-degree felony, for directing his roommate to “stay silent if police questioned him.”
- One count of commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, for “committing homicide knowing that children were present and may have seen or heard the murder and did so” based on Kirk’s “political expression.”
“Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one our most sacred and cherished American rights, the bedrock of our democratic republic: the free exchange of ideas in a search for truth, understanding, and a more perfect union,” Gray also said Tuesday.
Robinson, of Washington, Utah, was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail without bail early Friday morning on suspicion of committing the listed crimes in connection with Kirk’s murder Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem, officials said.
The TPUSA founder was killed by a single shot to his neck while presiding over one of his wildly popular speaking events directed toward college students.
Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd after arriving at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed. (Photo by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
Now that charges have been formally filed, officials said Robinson will make his first appearance in court — a felony first appearance — at 3 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) Tuesday.
Blaze News on Monday noted that FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the agency found and processed DNA evidence from a towel wrapped around a firearm found discarded in a wooded area near the UVU campus, as well as on a screwdriver found on the rooftop where the shooter was believed to have been. Both DNA samples were a positive match to Robinson, according to Patel.
As Blaze News also noted, several reports have confirmed that Robinson lived with a transgender-identifying roommate. The pair resided in an apartment in Saint George, Utah, and had a “romantic relationship,” Fox News Digital first reported.
The roommate is a biological male who claims he is transitioning to a female. The FBI stated that he has been “extremely cooperative” with the agency’s investigation and allegedly “had no idea” Robinson had allegedly planned the fatal shooting and has not been accused of any criminal activity in connection with Kirk’s assassination.
In addition, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) confirmed that Robinson’s roommate identified as transgender, indicating that this information may assist investigators in determining a motive for Kirk’s assassination, although he noted that Robinson’s motive remains unclear.
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