The court documents revealed that the now-arrested 22-year-old man (Tyler Robinson) on the assassination charge of Charlie Kirk, texted his boyfriend/romantic partner, confessing that he was the one who shot him, according to the media reports. At the time of his admission to assassinating, the police were round the clock looking for Kirk’s murderer. Tyler was living with his partner near St. George, Utah, about 387 kilometres southwest of the campus, where Kirk was killed in a single shot as he was addressing a crowd of 3,000 people on September 10.
He said to look under his keyboard at their home. There was a note that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it.” After expressing shock, his partner asked Robinson if he was the shooter. Robinson responded, “I am, I'm sorry.” The partner never revealed this information of Tyler’s confession to the police authorities.
Tyler was caught after his parents identified their son in the picture released by authorities as they searched for the shooter. They helped organise Robinson's peaceful surrender. The partner was not named in the charging documents that contained the narrative of the shooting and were made public Tuesday when authorities charged Robinson with capital murder and other counts. He could face the death penalty.
The authorities are investigating whether anyone else was involved with Tyler or if anybody knew about this or aided the killer in any manner.
Prosecutors allege Robinson used a bolt-action rifle to shoot Kirk in the neck on the campus in Orem, about 64 kilometres south of Salt Lake City. DNA on the trigger of the rifle matched Robinson, according to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray. The rifle had been Robinson's grandfather's.
Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared ahead as the judge read the charges and said he would appoint an attorney to represent him.
Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, was a prominent force in politics credited with energising the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024. He gained a large following through social media, his podcast, and campus events that featured him responding to a line of questioners who could query and debate him on any topic.
Meanwhile, the motive behind Kirk’s killing has not yet been revealed by the authorities, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner, “I had had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out.” The prosecutor said Robinson also wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk. Authorities have not said what they believe the planning entailed.
Gray declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence, and transgender people.
“That is for a jury to decide," Gray said.
Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say is transgender.
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