Utah officials have released shocking texts allegedly sent by the alleged Charlie Kirk assassin, Tyler Robinson, to his roommate in the hours after the fatal shooting.
The 22-year-old allegedly texted his roommate about Kirk, “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. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.”
That text, allegedly in response to his roommate asking why he committed the cold-blooded killing, was part of a criminal indictment filed Tuesday.
Authorities say the exchange began with Robinson texting that he had left a note under his keyboard, which stated that he planned to “take out” Kirk.
“Drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” Robinson’s initial text allegedly said.
“I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” the note read, according to police. The roommate allegedly viewed the note after Kirk had been fatally shot in the neck on the campus of Utah Valley University.
After exchanging texts to confirm the note was no joke, Robinson allegedly told his roommate—who officials say he was romantically involved with—that he had been planning the attack for “a bit over a week,” according to the indictment.
The alleged killer’s roommate appeared stunned at the development, according to their text thread. While the indictment shows Robinson texted repeatedly to express worry about leaving behind the rifle he used, which he said was his grandfather’s, the roommate responded succinctly, “I’m much more worried about you.”
Robinson, who hails from the state’s southwest corner, made his first remote appearance in front of a judge later Tuesday afternoon. Wearing a suicide-prevention smock, which is standard issue for high-profile prisoners at Utah County Jail, Robinson said his name when Judge Tony Graf asked for it and appeared to follow along as the seven charges against him were read.
Robinson faces one count of aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, one count of discharging a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and one count of committing a violent offense in front of a child.
Graf said he would be appointing a lawyer for Robinson, and that he had approved prosecutors’ request for a protective order for Kirk’s widow, Erika.
Utah County District Attorney Jeffrey Gray announced the charges earlier during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Gray said prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
“DNA consistent with Robinson was found on the rifle’s trigger,” Gray said on Tuesday. “After shooting Mr. Kirk, Robinson hid the gun, discarded the clothing he wore when he fired the rifle, and told his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and not to talk to police.”
Speculation about what allegedly drove Robinson to kill has been running wild online.
Some left-wing commentators have pointed to his Southern Utah upbringing—in a Republican, pro-gun household—as evidence that Robinson may be conservative. On the other side, Republicans have pointed to Robinson’s reportedly transgender romantic partner as a possible motivation to murder Kirk, who was anti-trans. Gray said Tuesday that Robinson’s roommate is a biological male who is undergoing a gender transition.
Gray added that Robinson and his father, Mark Robinson, who supports President Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda, had “very different political views.” Mark Robinson and his wife recognized their son in images released by the FBI on Thursday and ultimately convinced him to come home and turn himself in, the indictment says.
Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted that Robinson was active in the “deep dark internet.” FBI Director Kash Patel has also spoken similarly, claiming that Robinson “subscribed to left-wing ideology” and was active in online forums that are being probed.
Officials say Robinson’s loved ones are being cooperative with investigators, but that he is not.
The FBI said previously he fired a single shot at Kirk from a nearby rooftop on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem—about three hours north of where he grew up. He allegedly used a bolt-action rifle that was ditched in a nearby wooded area.
