Utah County prosecutors filed seven felony charges on Tuesday against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a Utah Valley University campus event last week, and said they would seek the death penalty.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the charges during a press conference on Tuesday, describing the shooting as a politically motivated act of violence carried out in front of children and hundreds of spectators. Prosecutors also revealed Robinson’s political ideology had shifted to the left prior to the attack, and they described further evidence that Robinson targeted Kirk for his political views.
“Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights — the free exchange of ideas,” Gray said. “The defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on his political expression and did so knowing children were present and would witness the homicide.”
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. The aggravated murder charge is a capital offense.
Three of the charges — aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child — carry victim targeting enhancements under Utah law for selecting a victim based on political expression, according to a charging sheet released during Gray’s conference. If proven, the enhancements could lead to harsher sentencing.
Gray said his office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty, adding he decided to do so independently and based solely on the evidence and nature of the crime. As a result, Robinson will remain in custody without bail. Utah is one of 27 states that permits the death penalty.
Utah does not use a grand jury system like the federal courts do, Gray also explained. Instead, prosecutors follow a preliminary hearing process. Robinson will appear at 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday before a judge in the Utah Fourth District Court to be informed of the charges. A preliminary hearing will follow to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. If a judge finds probable cause, Robinson will enter a plea at arraignment.
The shooting occurred just after noon on Sept. 10 as Kirk was speaking at an outdoor Turning Point USA event. Prosecutors allege Robinson fired a high-powered bolt-action .30-06 rifle from a rooftop more than 150 yards away, striking Kirk in the neck while he was answering a question about transgender mass shooters.
Children were visible near the stage at the time of the attack, and the bullet’s trajectory narrowly missed others in Kirk’s immediate vicinity, according to the county’s 10-page charging document. The charging sheet notes Kirk was roughly 15 minutes into his event when he was answering a question about mass shootings by transgender individuals, “when a gunshot rang out.”
Kirk, struck by a bullet in the neck, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead. The medical examiner’s report is still pending.
Surveillance footage appears to show Robinson arriving on campus at approximately 11:51 a.m., wearing a black shirt with an American flag on it, a dark baseball cap, and sunglasses, while walking with a stiff gait consistent with a concealed rifle in his pants.
Footage then appears to show him climbing a railing to access the roof and crawling into a sniper position. After allegedly firing the shot, he is seen running across the roof carrying an object consistent with a rifle.
Police later recovered the rifle and said Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger. He allegedly discarded his clothing and told his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and stay silent if questioned by law enforcement.
The rifle, recovered wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the university, contained one spent round and three unspent rounds — each with hand-etched messages.
The fired round was marked “notices bulge owo what’s this,” while the remaining cartridges read “hey fascist catch,” “bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao,” and “if you read this you are gay lmao.” Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger, cartridges, and towel.
Robinson surrendered to police on Sept. 11 following a 33-hour manhunt, after his parents recognized him from surveillance footage broadcast in the media and persuaded him to turn himself in. Gray said the suspect’s mother had initially called her son to ask where he was, and he claimed to be home sick on the day of the shooting.
Robinson’s father told investigators that the surveillance image resembled his son and that the rifle shown by police appeared to match one gifted to Robinson by his grandfather. Robinson declined to send a photo of the weapon when his father asked for one, Gray said. In a phone call with his father, Robinson allegedly hinted at suicidal intent and said he “couldn’t go to jail.” He later admitted to the shooting and said that “there’s too much evil, and the guy spreads too much hate,” referring to Kirk.
A retired sheriff’s deputy and family friend helped facilitate Robinson’s peaceful surrender. Robinson told the friend he had already disposed of his clothes across multiple areas.
Robinson’s mother also reported that her son had become increasingly political in the past year, moving left and becoming more pro-gay and pro-transgender rights. Robinson had entered a romantic relationship with a transgender roommate, leading to political friction within the family — particularly with his father.
The roommate later provided law enforcement with a series of disturbing text messages and a handwritten note the roommate found under a keyboard at Robinson’s request. The note read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.”
In a subsequent text exchange, Robinson confirmed he was the shooter, said he had planned the attack for over a week, and expressed regret that he couldn’t keep it secret until dying of old age, Gray said.
Robinson also wrote: “I had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Robinson warned the roommate not to talk to the police or the media and admitted trying to recover the rifle, but feared it was being watched by the police. He appeared to downplay the etchings on the bullet casings, describing them as “mostly a big meme,” despite the fact that several messages referenced antifascist rhetoric commonly associated with left-wing militancy and ideology.
“Delete this exchange,” Robinson wrote to his roommate, according to texts released by prosecutors. “My dad wants photos of the rifle… since Trump got into office, my dad has been pretty die-hard MAGA.”
Police later executed a search warrant at Robinson’s home and discovered a spent shell casing with similar etchings and several target boards with bullet holes.
Gray acknowledged the widespread interest in the case but emphasized that it must be tried “in a court of law, consistent with our Constitution, not the court of public opinion.” He said press briefings would be limited to protect the integrity of the legal process.
He added that federal charges could be filed by the Justice Department, but said he was not privy to those discussions. Whether Robinson’s text or digital confessions are admissible will ultimately be decided by a judge.
Read the full charging sheet for Robinson below:
