Prosecutors intend to seek death penalty for suspected shooter in Charlie Kirk killing

SALT LAKE CITY — In a press conference Tuesday, local officials announced the filing of formal charges against the suspected shooter in the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Tyler Robinson, 22, will face seven criminal charges, and according to Utah County Attorney Jeffrey S. Gray, prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty in Robinson’s case. The full list of charges is as follows:

• Aggravated murder; first-degree felony and capital offense
• Aggravated felony discharge of a firearm; first-degree felony
• Obstruction of justice; second-degree felony, for allegedly hiding the rifle used in the shooting
• Obstruction of justice; second-degree felony, for allegedly disposing of the clothing he wore
• Witness tampering; third-degree felony, for allegedly asking roommate to delete “incriminating texts”
• Witness tampering; third-degree felony, for allegedly asking roommate to keep silent
• Violent offense committed in the presence of a child, class A misdemeanor

KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas went over the charges Robinson is facing on Midday with Maria after officials announced the charges 👇

 

More from Skordas as he analyzes the charges against Robinson, and talks on the possibility of the alleged shooter facing the death penalty 👇 

 

In the official indictment filed during the conference, it is noted that per Utah law, counts one and two will be enhanced because “Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Tyler James Robinson’s belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.”

Robinson was arrested Friday after an over-24-hour manhunt, which prompted the FBI to release photos and video to the public.

The photos depicted security camera screenshots of a figure wearing a black shirt with an American flag on it, and a dark baseball cap. The video, released hours after the photos, showed a figure on the roof of a building at UVU, where the shooter allegedly fired the fatal shot.

Robinson’s parents

The indictment filed on Tuesday further detailed what happened between Robinson’s friends, family and authorities the day of his arrest. It was his mother who first saw the photos.

The indictment said she noticed the figure looked like her son. Therefore, she called Robinson on the day after the shooting to ask where he was. He told her he was sick, the indictment says, and that he had also been sick on the day of the shooting, Sept. 10.

Robinson’s mother consulted her husband, Robinson’s father, and the couple proceeded to speak with authorities. They explained that their son’s political views had changed over the “last year or so.” His parents said he’d begun to date his roommate, and that his decision had resulted in several discussions with family members.

“In one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robinson said was a ‘stupid venue’ for the event,” the indicment states. “Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.”

When talking to authorities, Robinson’s father further said he believed the rifle used in the shooting matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift.

“As a result, Robinson’s father contacted his son and asked him to send a photo of the rifle. Robinson did not respond,” the indictment states. “However, Robinson’s father spoke on the phone with Robinson. Robinson implied that he planned to take his own life. Robinson’s parents were able to convince him to meet at their home.”

When Robinson arrived, his parents had him speak with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy. The family friend spoke with Robinson and “convinced him to turn himself in.”

“As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it,” the indictment states. “When asked why he did it, Robinson explained there is too much evil and the guy (Charlie Kirk) spreads too much hate.”

‘The Roommate’

Also detailed in the indictment were text messages exchanged between Robinson and his roommate, who he was known to have been in a relationship with. Gov. Spencer Cox said earlier in a press conference that the roommate was “very cooperative” in the investigation.

“On Sept. 10, 2025, the roommate received a text message from Robinson which said ‘drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,’” the indictment states. “The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.’”

Police found a photograph of the note, the indictment states.

After reading the note, the roommate responded, and the following text thread took place:

Roomate: What??????????????? You’re joking, right?????

Robinson: I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.
Roommate: you weren’t the one who did it right????
Robinson: I am, I’m sorry
Roommate: I thought they caught the person?
Robinson: no, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.
Roommate: Why?
Robinson: Why did I do it?
Roommate: Yeah
Robinson: I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. haven’t seen anything about them finding it.

…

Roommate: How long have you been planning this?
Robinson: a bit over a week believe. can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it think they already swept that spot don’t wanna chance it

…

Robinson: I’m wishing had circled back and grabbed it as soon as got to my vehicle … worried what old man would do if didn’t bring back grandpas rifle … idek if had serial number wouldn’t trace to me. I worry about prints I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. didn’t have the ability or time to bring it with. … I might have to abandon it and hope they don’t find prints. how the (expletive) will I explain losing it to my old man. …

Robinson: Only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel. …

Robinson: remember how I was engraving bullets? The (expletive) messages are mostly a big meme, if I see “notices (expletive) uwu” on fox new I might have a stroke alright i’m gonna have to leave it, that really (expletive) sucks. …

Robinson: judging from today I’d say grandpas gun does just fine idk. I think that was a $2k scope ;-;

Robinson: delete this exchange

Robinson: my dad wants photos of the rifle … he says grandpa wants to know who has what, the feds released a photo of the rifle, and it is very unique. Hes calling me rn, not answering.

…

Robinson: since trump got into office (my family member) has been pretty diehard maga.

…

Robinson: Im gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff.

Robinson: you are all I worry about love

Roomate: I’m much more worried about you

Robinson: don’t talk to the media please. don’t take nay interviews or make ay comments. … if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent.

After Robinson’s arrest Friday, police searched his residence and found a shell casing with the etchings like the ones found on the shells of the rifle recovered from the scene, according to the indictment.

Asked whether the text messages or note left under Robinson’s keyboard would count as an admission of guilt, Gray told reporters on Tuesday that a judge would need to determine the answer to that question.

After the press conference announcing the charges filed on Tuesday, a separate order was filed requesting a protective order against Robinson by Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk.

Robinson is being held in custody at the Utah County Jail.

Robinson appears in court 

Robinson appeared in court for the first time on Sept. 16 via WebEx, a virtual conferencing software. 

During the hearing, Judge Tony Graf from the 4th District Court said Robinson has the right to a public defender, but that person would need to have special qualifications.

“The assigned attorneys must file declarations with the court that outline their qualifications for counsel appointment where death may be a sentencing option,” Judge Graf said.

Robinson, wearing a green sleeveless vest with velcro on the shoulders, nodded in acknowledgement as the judge read the seven charges that have been filed against him.

Judge Graf also granted the state’s no bail order and a protective order for Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk.

The next hearing was set for September 29th.

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Editor’s Note: KSL NewsRadio talk show host Greg Skordas is a respected defense attorney. Greg has served in an unpaid consulting capacity for Utah County for several years, helping to ensure appropriate legal representation in complex cases where constitutional rights are at stake, including Capital cases. In the Tyler Robinson case, Greg is not acting as legal counsel for Mr. Robinson, nor is he involved in the investigation or prosecution. His limited role is to assist the County in the formal process of assigning indigent defense counsel something he does as a public service and without compensation. This advisory role is entirely separate from his on-air work at KSL.

Editor’s Note: KSL TV censored explicit language and sensitive information from the text thread included in this article, and all adjustments can be observed in parenthesis. All other text included is as written in court documents.