Here's what we know about Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk's murder

WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — A former straight-A student from Utah is accused of shooting and killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk with a bullet from a casing he inscribed with a niche online meme. 

Those details emerged in the days after authorities announced the arrest of Tyler Robinson in Kirk’s slaying. 

Robinson, 22, is accused of shooting Kirk in the neck during a public appearance at Utah Valley University, located in the city of Orem, on Sept. 10. He reportedly is not cooperating with law enforcement officials.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who spoke on several Sept. 14 news shows, said it's too early to conclude what motivated Robinson's alleged actions.

"We also have to figure out how it came to be that a kid with a 4.0, with a 34 on the ACT, with a full ride scholarship at my alma mater, who didn’t even last a semester, drops out and ends up doing something like this," the governor said. "We need to understand that, and we need to figure out how to stop it.”

Cox said those close to Robinson, including a "romantic partner" who is "transitioning from male to female," are helping investigators.

Family and friends said Robinson had become more political and angry in recent years.

One of Robinson’s high school classmates, Xander Luke, said he “was politically active and outspoken about people’s rights.” The accused shooter “thought both political sides were contributing to a country being in a worse place and not improving the world,” Luke said. 

The quiet street where Robinson once lived with his parents is now the subject of intense scrutiny. Officers from the Washington City Police Department kept media and neighbors on the other side of the street throughout the weekend, and federal agents were seen taking belongings from the home and towing a gray Dodge Charger, the same make, model and color of car authorities said Robinson drove.

Neighbors were largely tight-lipped about the family. Many of those who spoke with USA TODAY mentioned they were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are colloquially known as Mormons, but that the family had been mostly inactive recently.

An LDS spokesman told USA TODAY that Robinson became a church member at a young age, though neighbors said he rarely attended services in recent years.

But a youth pastor still helped with Robinson’s capture.  

A ‘minister’ and family members ‘who did the right thing’ 

President Donald Trump, who first announced the arrest, without naming Robinson, during a "Fox and Friends" interview on Sept. 12, said that a “person of faith” was involved with identifying the suspect.

Tyler Robinson allegedly "confessed" or "implied that he had committed" the killing to a family member on Sept. 11, according to his arrest report. According to media reports citing unnamed law-enforcement sources, Robinson's father then contacted a youth pastor who was also a family friend and a member of a U.S. Marshals task force.

The father and the youth pastor facilitated Robinson's arrest, according to the reports.

The governor, announcing the arrest on Sept. 12, thanked family members "who did the right thing in this case" when they "helped to deliver him into the custody of law enforcement in Washington County." FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest occurred at 10 p.m. local time on Sept. 11.  

Authorities say they tied Robinson to the crime through a review of online messages, interviews with his family members and friends and surveillance video. The messages included some sent on Discord, a popular online chatting platform. In a statement to USA TODAY, Discord disputed that attack planning messages were sent via their service.

The announcement came a day after law enforcement released several images as well as a video showing the alleged gunman’s leap from a rooftop after the Sept. 10 attack. The FBI recovered what they believe to be the murder weapon, a high-powered bolt-action rifle, and several imprints on the roof where the gunman fired the one fatal shot. 

The ‘quiet’ kid ‘became more political in recent years’ 

Robinson, who has no criminal history according to state records, attended high school in the neighboring city of St. George. 

He is registered to vote, though he lacks a party affiliation. His parents are registered Republicans. 

As of about 9 a.m. EDT on Sept. 12, the Facebook page for Tyler Robinson's mother was filled with celebrations of her son's milestones and accomplishments. The page depicted a tight-knit family where Tyler was the oldest of three sons. 

Longtime neighbor Robert Sylvester told USA TODAY that the Robinson brothers grew up playing throughout the neighborhood as other kids did, sometimes doing foot races down their residential street. Sylvester described him as “quiet.” 

The family is shown on vacations to the Grand Canyon and on outdoor excursions like fishing trips and shooting days. 

Tyler wore a Trump-related Halloween costume in 2017, according to Ambers Robinson’s Facebook page. 

In August 2020, Amber Robinson posted what appears to be an ACT college aptitude test score for Tyler – 34 out of 36 – that would place him in the top 1% of test takers, according to recent averages. He received a $32,000 scholarship to Utah State University, she said. 

Kristin Schwiermann, who has lived two doors down for the last 16 years, is head custodian with the Washington County School District. She said she watched the boys grow up and often crossed paths with the family at church and school events.  “He was always very quiet, had just a few friends,” she said. “I think he was more on the musical side, very smart.” 

Neighbor Jaida Funk, who attended school with Robinson and lived down the street, described him as "respectful and kind toward everyone."

The eldest Robinson son graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021, according to Amber Robinson's social media and video of the commencement ceremony on YouTube. He then “briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021,” the university said. 

He later enrolled in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George. The Utah Board of Higher Education confirmed Sept. 12 that Robinson “is a third-year student” in the program. 

But during those recent years, said Governor Cox, Robinson “had become more political.” 

At the dinner table before Kirk came to Utah Valley University for the event at which he was killed, Tyler Robinson talked in disparaging terms about the conservative activist, Cox said at the news briefing. 

Also, Cox said, a family member interviewed by authorities referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10, “and in the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU.” 

“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.” 

Cox suggested Sept. 14 that investigators are exploring whether and how Robinson could have become radicalized online.

Hunting rifle’s bullets engraved with meme-influenced messages 

That online influence seemingly appeared in the messages that authorities allege Robinson inscribed on the ammunition used in the killing. 

The Mauser 98 .30-06 bolt-action rifle that law enforcement officials said was used to kill Kirk had a spent cartridge in the chamber and three unfired bullets in its magazine. 

FBI forensics agents recovered the Mauser in a wooded area behind Utah Valley University’s Losee building, from which the fatal shot was fired. 

The fired cartridge's casing had a meme, popular in animated videos and furry culture, about a "bulge."

One of the unfired casings, according to Cox, said: “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao.” The lyrics reference the anthem of the antifascist Italian resistance during World War II, though several right-wing online communities have coopted the tune. 

Cox said that another read, “Hey fascist! Catch!” The casing also had a series of arrows that pointed up, right, down, down, and down in apparent reference to a cooperative shooter video game called Helldivers 2. The input is the code for an airstrike. It has morphed into a meme and is used to imply a devastating reaction to something that should be destroyed.  

Luke, the high school classmate, described Robinson as deeply ingrained in internet and meme culture and said the reported engravings on shell casings came as no surprise. 

The third unfired casing, according to Cox, said, “If you’re reading this, you’re gay LMAO.” 

Tom Chittum, a former ATF Associate Deputy Director, told USA TODAY that .30-06 “is a common hunting caliber.” 

Chittum said the traditional hunting caliber is often used for hunting deer. 

When shooting a bolt action rifle, the user must manually manipulate a lever to eject the fired round and chamber a new round before firing again. That contrasts with semi-automatic rifles, which allow the shooter to pull the trigger and quickly fire again without interruption. 

“This was a longer shot, that suggests a person has prepared and practiced, but you don’t necessarily need to be a police or military sniper to make that shot,” Chittum said. “With modern optics and some practice, it’s not an impossible shot." 

State may seek death penalty with Trump’s support 

The extent to which the shooter trained or practiced will likely be a major focus for investigators and prosecutors, who accused Robinson Sept. 12 of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. 

The governor said Robinson is in custody at the Utah County Jail. Cox indicated Sept. 11 that state prosecutors may pursue the death penalty for Kirk’s assassin. 

Trump, in his morning comments on "Fox and Friends," argued that Kirk's killer should receive the death penalty. 

"I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump said. "What he did − Charlie Kirk was the finest person." 

Utah uses lethal injection as its primary method of execution for inmates condemned today, though the firing squad is authorized in cases where lethal injection drugs are not available, due to a long-running shortage.

Robinson is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 16, when prosecutors are expected to formally file charges against him, according to Christopher Ballard of the Utah County Attorney’s Office.

This story has been updated with new information clarifying Robinson's relationship with the church.