 "Officials said Robinson held a strong dislike for Kirk and had spoken about his hatred to people close to him. Reuters")
Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, has been formally charged with aggravated murder for fatally shooting the far-right activist last week, the Utah state prosecutors have announced.
Jeff Gray, the top prosecutor in Utah County, said that they have intentions to impose the death penalty for Robinson if he is convicted of the crime. He added that the 22-year-old shooter ordered his roommate to delete an incriminating text exchange between them and asked him not to answer any questions from the police after Kirk’s killing.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and witness tampering. Gray stated that the charges were elevated to qualify for the death penalty due to two aggravating circumstances: the 31-year-old “Kirk’s political expression” and the presence of children who “were present” to witness the murder.
What have the chats revealed?
In the court filing, prosecutors stated that Robinson had criticised Kirk both before and after the shooting. Authorities allege that after Kirk’s death, Robinson admitted to those around him that he had planned the attack in advance and had initially intended to avoid being caught.
Robinson’s roommate found a note under his keyboard that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” the prosecutors said.
After shooting Kirk dead, Robinson confessed to his actions to his father and roommate, both of whom asked why he killed the right-wing activist, to which he replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
‘Started leaning to the left’
Citing information given to investigators by Robinson’s mother following his arrest, Gray emphasised that the suspect, whose family was known to be conservative, “had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights oriented.”
Robinson’s mother also revealed that he had started dating his roommate, who “was transitioning genders”, the chief prosecutor said.
Video of the crime showed how Kirk was shot after he said that “too many” transgender people are being responsible for mass shootings in the US as he held an event at Utah Valley University.