Charlie Kirk case updates: Tyler Robinson charged with murder, could face death penalty
Editor's note: This page summarizes developments in the investigation of Charlie Kirk's death for Tuesday, Sept. 16. For the latest on the Charlie Kirk shooting, visit USA TODAY's coverage for Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Utah officials on Tuesday formally charged the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk with capital murder and other crimes ahead of his first court appearance.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and the commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said at a news conference. Gray said he would seek the death penalty, calling Kirk's slaying "an American tragedy."
"I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime," Gray said.
Robinson is accused of firing a single bullet that lanced Kirk’s neck during a public appearance on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. The killing of Kirk, an influential ally of President Donald Trump and co-founder of Turning Point USA, shocked the nation amid an increase in political violence.
Shooting suspect appears in court
Robinson appeared in court via video stream and wore what appeared to be a bulletproof vest. Robinson appeared in front of a cinderblock wall at about 3 p.m. local time.
Judge Tony F. Graf read charges against the suspected shooter, including aggravated murder, commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, and obstruction of justice. Chad Grunander of the Utah County Attorney’s Office said that prosecutors had filed papers seeking the death penalty for Robinson.
The judge said he would appoint an attorney for Robinson, given the suspect’s "indigent" financial status. Robinson is next due to appear in court on Sep. 29 at 10 a.m. local time, Graf said. Robinson will remain in jail without bail, the judge said.
Graf also granted a protective order for Erika Kirk, the widow of the deceased conservative commentator.
Could murder suspect face the firing squad if convicted?
The decision of Utah officials to pursue the death penalty in their case against Robinson opens the door to another question: Since Utah allows execution by firing squad or lethal injection, which of the two would likely be used in the event of a conviction and death sentence?
While most executions in the U.S. are carried out by lethal injection, Robinson faces trial in Utah, which is only one of two death penalty states that have used the firing squad in modern U.S. history. Utah and South Carolina have executed just five inmates by firing squad since 1977, although two of those executions happened this year.
Before this year, only Utah had carried out firing squad executions: in 1977, 1996 and 2010.
Utah was just days away from conducting a firing squad execution this month before the Utah Supreme Court intervened. The state was set to execute Ralph Menzies by firing squad on Sept. 5 for the 1986 murder of a married mother of three. Though Menzies chose the firing squad decades ago, the state's high court halted it over concerns about his current dementia and whether he still understands why he's being executed.
– Amanda Lee Myers
Kirk shooting suspect said bullet engravings are 'mostly a big meme'
In a text exchange with his roommate and romantic partner, Robinson described the engravings on the bullets as "mostly a big meme," according to a charging document.
"(R)emember how I was engraving bullets?" Robinson wrote to his roommate, records show. "The (expletive) messages are mostly a big meme, if I see ‘notices bulge uwu’ on fox new I might have a stroke."
The engravings on the bullets recovered in connection with Kirk’s assassination have stirred much speculation. According to court records, the unfired casings said: "Hey Fascist! Catch!" and "If you Read This, You Are GAY Lmao."
In a search of Robinson’s home, investigators found another shell casing with "etchings” similar to those found in the rifle discovered near the attack, court records said.
Florida college to honor Kirk with statue
New College of Florida will commission a statue of conservative activist Kirk, the school announced on Sept. 16, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The announcement comes as hundreds of vigils at universities have been held across the country in Kirk’s memory, with conservative leaders launching similar efforts to memorialize him.
Local community leaders will provide funding for the statue of Kirk, which will "stand on campus as a commitment by New College to defend and fight for free speech and civil discourse in American life," said Jamie Miller, vice president of communications and chief marketing officer.
– Melissa Pérez-Carrillo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Is anyone else being investigated?
At a news conference on Tuesday, Utah County Attorney Gray did not say whether other people were being investigated for the killing of Charlie Kirk.“We don’t have any information at this point of additional suspects, but I know that our law enforcement agencies are continuing to follow leads,” Gray told reporters.Hours earlier, FBI Director Kash Patel said before Congress that investigators were looking at “more than” 20 people in an online Discord chat with the alleged gunman. Representatives at the popular platform for gamers dispute that Robinson planned or promoted violence on Discord.
Justice Sotomayor wades into free speech debate after Kirk killing
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor weighed in on the free speech debate swirling around the killing of Charlie Kirk.
“Every time I listen to a lawyer-trained representative saying we should criminalize free speech in some way, I think to myself, `That law school failed,’” she said at event on civic education.
Sotomayor did not identify any particular lawyer. But her remarks came after Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to go after “those who engage in hate speech" and Vice President JD Vance, who has a law degree from Yale Law School, called for anyone celebrating Kirk’s death to be fired from their jobs.
Court records: Suspect planned shooting 'a bit over a week'
Robinson and his live-in partner exchanged texts after the killing of Kirk in which the suspect admitted to carrying out the attack and said he had been planning the assassination for "a bit over a week," according to a charging document released on Tuesday.
After reading a physical note Robinson wrote about the shooting, Robinson’s roommate wrote in a text ““What?????????????? You’re joking,right????” the document says.
Robinson responded, saying he was OK but was stuck near the scene until he could retrieve his rifle, which he described as his grandfather’s. Robinson apologized and said he had hoped to “keep this secret till I died of old age,” records show.
The roommate then asked Robinson why he did it, according to the charging document. Robinson responded, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Suspect's note promised to 'take out Charlie Kirk,' DA says
After the shooting of Charlie Kirk, Robinson sent a message to his live-in partner reading “Drop what you’re doing. Look under my keyboard,” according to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.
Under the keyboard, Robinson’s roommate discovered a note reading “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” Gray said at a news conference Tuesday.
Gray said Robinson’s roommate described the exchange to police and willingly showed them the messages. Law enforcement also obtained a photo of the note, according to Gray.
Prosecutors: Suspect told his parents Kirk ‘spreads too much hate’
When his parents asked why he would kill Kirk, Tyler Robinson said: “There’s too much evil and the guy … spreads too much hate,” according to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.
Gray said Robinson’s father contacted his son after suspecting the rifle used in the attack was the same one he had given his son as a gift. Later, on the phone with his parents, Robinson indicated he carried out the attack, said he couldn’t go to jail, and that he wished to take his own life, Gray said.
Robinson’s parents convinced him to come to their house, where Robinson agreed to speak with a family friend who had previously worked as a deputy sheriff. The family friend, along with Robinson’s parents, brought the 22-year-old to local law enforcement.
Family: Suspect became more political over the last year
Tyler Robinson’s mother told investigators that she believed her son had become more political recently and “started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” said Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.
Gray, speaking at a news conference, said Robinson’s mother told authorities her son was dating his transgender roommate, resulting in "several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father who have very different political views.”
Before the shooting, Robinson allegedly mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be at Utah Valley University, which he described as “a stupid venue for the event,” Gray said. Robinson accused Kirk “of spreading hate,” according to Gray.
Suspect’s mother recognized her son from police images, prosecutor says
Tyler Robinson’s mother recognized her son in images released the day after the shooting, said Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.
“Robinson’s mother saw the photo of the shooter in the news and thought the shooter looked like her son,” Gray said at a news conference. “Robinson’s mother called her son and asked him where he was. He said he was at home sick and that he had been home sick on Sept. 10.”
Prosecutor: Suspect’s DNA found on rifle
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said DNA consistent with suspect Tyler Robinson was found on the trigger of the rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk.
This comes after FBI officials on Monday announced that Robinson’s DNA was found on a towel wrapped around the rifle and a screwdriver found on the roof where police say the fatal shot was fired.
Suspected Charlie Kirk assassin charged with murder
The man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk last week has been formally charged with murder, said Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray.
The charges come five days after 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was taken into custody in connection with the grisly killing that shocked the nation and stoked fears of more political violence.
Robinson, who will be arraigned later Tuesday, faces multiple felony counts including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, Gray said.
Gray said Robinson directed his roommate to “delete his incriminating texts” and “stay silent” under police questioning, leading prosecutors to charge him with witness tampering.
Patel defends post saying 'subject' who shot Kirk was in custody prematurely
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, pressed Patel about a statement he posted on X hours after Kirk's Sept. 10 killing, saying a "subject" was in custody "for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk." Less than two hours later, Patel revealed in a follow-up post the person in question had been released.
"The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with @fbi. We will provide updates when able," Patel said in the post on Sept. 10.
Tyler Robinson, the current suspect in the shooting, wasn't arrested until about 10 p.m. local time on Sept. 11, according to information later released by Patel.
The FBI director said at the oversight hearing that the bureau eliminates subjects during an investigation, and he put that information out as part of his commitment to working with the public.
Welch replied that Patel's post suggested the person who committed the murder was in custody, and therefore the public didn't need to keep providing information to local law enforcement and to the FBI.
"I don't see it as a mistake," Patel maintained.
"If you put out a statement that says, 'We've got our man,' and in fact it turns out that you didn't have your man, that's not a mistake?" Welch responded.
Patel disputed Welch's characterization, and the Vermont lawmaker moved on during the hearing.
–Aysha Bagchi
Trump on Utah gov's message of nonviolence and role of social media
Asked by a reporter what he thought of Cox’s overall message of non-violence in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, Trump said he agreed with it.
“But most of the violence is on the left,” he added.
Still, a recent study by the libertarian Cato Institute found more politically motivated killings in the United States come from right-leaning extremists.
Trump was also asked for his opinion on Cox’s description of social media as a "cancer" and his calls for more people to log off.
“It’s not a cancer in all respects. In some respects, it’s great,” said Trump. “But there are deep, dark holes that are beyond cancer. They’re death.”
-Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Klobuchar asks for end to blame game, citing new study
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, criticized remarks by Trump and Vice President JD Vance that blamed liberals in particular for U.S. political violence and extremism. She noted data from a Sept. 11 Cato Institute report indicating that politically motivated U.S. killings in the past 50 years more often came from one side over the other.
The study, by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute, found that terrorists motived by extreme slices of right-leaning ideology killed six times more people than those on the other side of the political spectrum between 1975 and Sept. 10, 2025. Since 1975, 391 murders were motivated by extreme ideology on the right, compared to 65 murders backed by extreme ideology on the left, according to the report.
The study titled “Politically Motivated Violence is Rare in the United States” was written by Alex Nowrasteh, the vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute.
"I actually don't want to go tit-for-tat on this, but what I am asking for is that this rhetoric of blaming one side or the other stop," Klobuchar said, asking Patel to share her message with Trump.
In Sept. 10 remarks following Kirk's murder, Trump said "Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives." As he hosted "The Charlie Kirk Show" on Sept. 15, JD Vance condemned what he called an "incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism."
Patel agreed to convey her message to the president and work with her on finding solutions.
– Aysha Bagchi and Christopher Cann
Man arrested after Kirk shooting held on obstructing investigation
The man initially apprehended after Kirk's shooting is being held in Utah jail on pending obstruction and sexual exploitation charges.
Police say George Zinn, 71, yelled, “I shot him now shoot me” and was swiftly taken into custody. Zinn then said he provided a false confession “to draw attention from the real shooter.” He is being held on pending charges of obstructing the Kirk shooting investigation.
Zinn is also being held without bail on four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. FBI agents interviewed Zinn and asked if he had anything illegal on his phone, and he admitted to looking at child sex abuse material, according to court documents. Police seized his phone and found more than 20 images of young children posing as well as conversations with purported girls.
-Nick Penzenstadler
Bondi digs in on ‘hate speech’ crackdown after Kirk assassination
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday defended her vow to “come after those who engage in hate speech” in the wake of Kirk’s assassination.
Bondi said Tuesday on X that “Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment” and accused the “radical left” of normalizing such language.
Bondi’s latest comments come after she appeared on a podcast Monday and said “there’s free speech and then there’s hate speech,” sparking immediate backlash over First Amendment concerns.
On Monday, the president and several of his top advisers promised to “go after” liberal groups they contend are promoting political violence. Trump said he spoke with Bondi about bringing possible racketeering charges against people “putting up millions and millions of dollars for agitation.”
Federal officials have not detailed their plans or named what groups or individuals would be investigated. Law enforcement officials said the accused gunman in Kirk’s killing is believed to have worked alone.
Kirk last year said on social media that "Hate speech does not exist legally in America," adding that there's "evil speech" and "gross speech" but that all of it is protected by the Constitution.
What evidence is there against the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect?
Officials said they’ve tied Robinson to the assassination of Kirk through physical evidence, surveillance footage, and a cache of online messages and communications.
This week, Patel announced that agents matched the suspect to DNA found on a screwdriver and a towel wrapped around the gun police believe was used to kill Kirk. Patel also said the alleged gunman had stated in writing his intention to “take out” Kirk before the assassination.
Robinson’s own family who turned him over to law enforcement after he indicated he had carried out the attack, state and federal officials said, adding that Robinson has not been cooperative with investigators since his arrest.
Where is Tyler Robinson being held?
Robinson is being held at the Utah County Jail, according to an inmate booking sheet.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said over the weekend that Robinson was being held under "special watch" until he completes a mental health evaluation. Robinson’s status means he will be monitored by mental and medical staff while in custody.
There are several reasons for the status, including the severity of the alleged crimes, exhibiting violent behavior, and suicidal comments. The agency noted in a statement that it was not aware of any suicidal comments made by Robinson.
The agency said the mental health evaluation could take several days to complete.
Contributing: Davis Winkie, Rick Jervis, and Chris Kenning, USA TODAY