The suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk is set to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon in Provo, Utah, where he is expected to be formally charged with murder.
Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and Turning Point USA cofounder, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10.
Tyler Robinson, 22, turned himself in to police in Washington County, Utah, near his home in St. George, on Sept. 11. He is being held without bail at the Utah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily harm. The aggravated murder charge could make Robinson eligible for the death penalty under Utah law.
According to the Utah County Attorney’s Office, formal charges will be filed before Robinson’s arraignment. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is expected to announce the charges at a press conference at 2 p.m. ET (12 p.m. MT).
The hearing, which will be conducted virtually, is scheduled for Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET (3 p.m. MT).
Officials have yet to identify a motive for the shooting.
Utah governor says suspect is not cooperating
Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, in mugshots released by the Utah Department of Public Safety on Sept. 12. (Utah Department of Public Safety via Reuters)
Appearing on ABC’s This Week Sunday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that Robinson has not confessed to the killing and is not cooperating with authorities but added that “all the people around him are cooperating.”
Cox confirmed reports that Robinson was/is in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who is transitioning from male to female.
“I will say that that person has been very cooperative with authorities,” Cox said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
At a press conference announcing Robinson’s arrest, Cox said that family members had told authorities the suspect had become increasingly political, and, at a recent family dinner, had mentioned that Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University to speak.
Cox said that more information, including forensic evidence, would be released when charges are filed.
DNA found near crime scene matches suspect, FBI director says
Items are left at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at the headquarters of Turning Point USA, the conservative group he cofounded, in Phoenix on Monday. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
On Fox & Friends Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel said that DNA matching that of the suspect was found on a towel wrapped around a bolt-action rifle recovered near the crime scene, as well as on a screwdriver that was found on the rooftop where authorities believe the fatal shot was fired.
According to the FBI director, family members of Robinson told investigators that he had increasingly “subscribed to left-wing ideology” in recent years.
Patel also said investigators reviewed a text message and a written note in which Robinson suggested before the shooting that he had an opportunity to kill Kirk and “was going to take it.”
Patel did not say to whom the text message was sent. The written note, he said, had been destroyed, but authorities were able to confirm its contents “because of our aggressive interview posture at the FBI.”
