Tyler James Robinson

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Tyler Robinson
Robinson Mugshot NDTV.webp
Robinson's mug shot after his arrest on September 12, 2025
Born (2003-04-16) April 16, 2003 (age 22)
Education Utah State University (dropped out)
Known forBeing accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk
Criminal charges

Tyler James Robinson (born April 16, 2003) is an American man charged with the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Robinson, a 22-year-old from Washington, Utah, was arrested 33 hours after Kirk was fatally shot in the neck at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Robinson faces multiple felony counts, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. [2] Prosecutors in Utah have announced they will seek the death penalty in the case. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Tyler James Robinson was born on April 16, 2003, and raised in Washington, Utah. [4] [5] [6] Robinson is the son of a social worker and a business owner, [7] and has two younger brothers. [8] Robinson's family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [9] Childhood photos show the Robinson family on trips to shoot guns and see weapons displays. [10] He graduated Pine View High School in 2021, [11] where he earned college credit from Dixie State University from 2019 to 2021. [12] Robinson was in his third year of an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. [12] He had previously enrolled at Utah State University but dropped out after one semester. [12]

Alleged role in the assassination of Charlie Kirk

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem during the first college campus stop on The American Comeback Tour event. Kirk was taking questions and debating attendees when he was shot in the neck. [13] According to the Associated Press, the shot came from the Losee Student Success Center, approximately 350 feet (110 m) from where Kirk was speaking. [14] Robinson was arrested on September 12, 2025, after a 33-hour manhunt. [15] [16] Utah governor Spencer Cox said that Robinson was "the only suspect". [17] [18] On September 21, 2025, during Erika Kirk's speech at the memorial service of Charlie Kirk, she said she forgave Robinson. [19]

Personal life

At the time of his arrest, Robinson lived in St. George, Utah. [6] According to Governor Cox and investigators, he was in a romantic relationship with his roommate, a trans woman, who was interviewed by authorities but is not considered a suspect. [20] [21] [22] Authorities initially wanted his roommate's gender identity to remain confidential due to that person being "extremely cooperative" with law enforcement during the investigation. [23] According to BBC News, Robinson allegedly has an online profile on a website dedicated to furry fandom, suggesting he may have had an interest in the subject. [24]

Alleged political views

Robinson's mother told prosecutors that her son had become more political over the last year and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-LGBTQ rights-oriented and growing "increasingly radicalized and isolated" in the process. [25] Robinson was registered to vote but not affiliated with any party, and there is no record of him voting in Washington County (of which St. George is the county seat). [26] Robinson's grandmother said the entire family are Republicans and Trump supporters. [27] On September 14, Governor Cox said that Robinson had very different political views from those of his conservative family and clearly adhered to "leftist ideology". [28] [29] [30] While Trump and elected Republicans alleged Robinson was connected to left-wing groups and threatened a crackdown on them, no evidence exists that Robinson was connected to left-wing groups. [31] [32]

According to Cox, Robinson appears to have become radicalized after dropping out of Utah State University and may have been influenced by aspects of Internet culture. Cox also said that one of Robinson's relatives had told investigators that during a family dinner, Robinson had expressed dislike of Kirk and discussed his upcoming visit to Utah Valley University. [7] On September 16, prosecutor Jeff Gray stated that the "suspect had become increasingly concerned about gay and trans rights" and that he had grown apart from his family's conservative views, citing Robinson's sexual relationship with his transgender roommate as a factor. [1] [25] According to ABC News, the charging documents did not "indicate the relevance of those stances or whether Kirk's remarks about those issues were a motivating factor", and reported "Gray said he would let a judge determine whether the statements allegedly made constituted a confession". [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Haworth, Jon; Forrester, Megan (September 16, 2025). "Tyler Robinson said he killed Charlie Kirk because he 'spreads too much hate': Officials". ABC News . Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  2. ↑ Anderson Stern, Emily (September 16, 2025). "Alleged Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler James Robinson makes first Utah court appearance". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Utah County attorney to seek death penalty against alleged Charlie Kirk assassin". KTVZ. September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Read the Charges Against Tyler Robinson" . The New York Times . September 16, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  5. ↑ Tanner, Courtney (September 17, 2025). "How Tyler James Robinson's parents recognized their son as Charlie Kirk's suspected killer and convinced him to surrender". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Carlson, Brian (September 12, 2025). "Neighbors of Tyler Robinson's family react to him as the suspected UVU shooter". KSL NewsRadio . Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Upadhyay, Brajesh; Epstein, Kayla (September 14, 2025). "Who is Tyler Robinson, the suspect in custody for shooting Charlie Kirk?". BBC News . Archived from the original on September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ Mata, William (September 12, 2025). "Who is Tyler Robinson? Man, 22, arrested after Donald Trump-ally Charlie Kirk is shot dead in Utah, US". LBC. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  9. ↑ Peñaloza, Marisa; Condos, David (September 13, 2025). "Utah residents are reeling, knowing the Charlie Kirk suspect is one of their own". NPR . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ Healy, Jack; Mayorquín, Orlando (September 14, 2025). "Kirk Shooting Suspect Held 'Leftist Ideology,' Utah Governor Says". The New York Times . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ Cann, Christopher; Winkie, Davis (September 12, 2025). "Here's what we know about Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk's murder". USA Today . Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 "Charlie Kirk shooting suspect is in custody; family turned him in, Utah governor says". NBC News . September 13, 2025. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025.
  13. ↑ Amatulli, Jenna; Betts, Anna; Yang, Maya (September 10, 2025). "Trump ally Charlie Kirk fatally shot during event at Utah Valley University". The Guardian . Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  14. ↑ Jennemann, Annie (September 10, 2025). "Map shows where Charlie Kirk was speaking before being fatally shot at Utah Valley University". KCRA. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  15. ↑ Quinn, Melissa (September 12, 2025). "Patel says suspect was taken into custody Thursday night". CBS News. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  16. ↑ Brooks, Brad; Gorman, Steve (September 16, 2025). "Charlie Kirk's accused assassin faces initial court hearing, formal charges in Utah". Reuters . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ Hubbard, Kaia; Walsh, Joe; Quinn, Melissa; Watson, Kathryn (September 12, 2025). "Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody after manhunt, Erika Kirk vows to keep holding Turning Point USA events". CBS News . Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Charlie Kirk's suspected killer arrested after confessing to father". BBC News . September 12, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  19. ↑ Gambino, Lauren (September 21, 2025). "Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, says she forgives man accused of murder". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  20. ↑ Healy, Jack; Mayorquín, Orlando (September 14, 2025). "Kirk Shooting Suspect Held 'Leftist Ideology,' Utah Governor Says". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  21. ↑ Ensor, Josie (September 16, 2025). "Tyler Robinson 'confessed to killing Charlie Kirk in messages to trans partner'". The Times . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  22. ↑ Fortinsky, Sarah (September 15, 2025). "Cox: Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin was in romantic relationship with roommate, who is cooperating". The Hill . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  23. ↑ Caputo, Marc (September 14, 2025). "Kirk investigators: "Aghast" transgender roommate may lead to motive". Axios . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  24. ↑ "The motive behind Charlie Kirk's killing: What we know and don't know". BBC News. September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Luscombe, Richard (September 16, 2025). "Texts, plans and a confession: prosecutor lays out startling details in Charlie Kirk shooting". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  26. ↑ Tolan, Casey; Glover, Scott; Devine, Curt; Winter, Jeff; Chapman, Isabelle; Gordon, Allison; Miller, John (September 12, 2025). "What we know about Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson". CNN . Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Tyler Robinson's grandmother says their entire family are Republicans: 'I don't know a single Democrat'". The Independent . September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  28. ↑ Timotija, Filip (September 13, 2025). "Kirk murder suspect 'deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,' Cox says". The Hill . Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  29. ↑ Roebuck, Jeremy; Timsit, Annabelle; Somasundaram, Praveena (September 14, 2025). "Kirk shooting suspect had 'leftist ideology' but motive unclear, Utah official says". The Washington Post . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  30. ↑ Wright, Kendall; Scanlan, Quinn (September 14, 2025). "Utah governor says alleged Kirk shooter not cooperating with authorities". ABC News . Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  31. ↑ Smith, Allan; Kosnar, Michael; O'Donnell, Kelly; Reilly, Ryan J. (September 20, 2025). "'No evidence' found yet of ties between Charlie Kirk's shooting and left-wing groups, officials say". NBC News . Archived from the original on September 21, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  32. ↑ Brumfiel, Geoff (September 20, 2025). "Social media is shattering America's understanding of Charlie Kirk's death". Oregon Public Broadcasting. NPR. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025.
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