Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Faces Murder Charge in Utah Court

The suspect in the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk made his first appearance in a Utah court after being charged with murder in a case that’s galvanized President Donald Trump and his allies over what they see as rampant political violence against conservatives.

Prosecutors on Tuesday filed a first-degree aggravated murder charge against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect taken into custody last week a day after Kirk was fatally shot.

During a 10-minute hearing in state court in Provo, a judge told Robinson that he has the right to a court-appointed attorney and that he will remain in custody without bail. Robinson, wearing a green protective vest, didn’t speak except to state his name when asked by the judge and showed no emotion while a prosecutor recited the charges against him.

In an earlier press conference announcing the charges, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said he intends to pursue the death penalty.

“I do not take this decision lightly,” Gray said. “It is a decision I have made as county attorney based solely on the available evidence and circumstances.”

Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. While the shooting drew an outpouring of shock and condemnation from Republicans and Democrats, Trump and Vice President JD Vance have sought to blame the left for inciting violence and pledged to investigate left-leaning organizations following the killing.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox described the incident as a “political assassination” and said the suspect been radicalized and “had a leftist ideology.” Both Trump and Cox have called for the death penalty.

Read More: Trump, Vance Vow to Probe Groups on Left After Kirk’s Death

Kirk, who was 31, started Turning Point USA more than a decade ago and had built it into one of the most influential groups helping to rally young voters to conservative causes. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. Trump said he intends to attend Kirk’s funeral, which will take place in Arizona.

Kirk played a pivotal role in energizing younger voters to back Trump in his presidential bids. He took conservative stances on cultural issues such as race and gender, was a staunch defender of Second Amendment gun rights and opposed abortion.

Kirk was at the university for his organization’s American Comeback Tour. About 20 minutes after he began speaking to a crowd of more than 3,000, a shot was fired from a nearby building. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The slaying represents an escalation in political violence in an increasingly polarized American society. Trump was the subject of two assassination attempts last year while he was campaigning for his second term. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was forced to flee his house in April after an arson attempt. In June, a gunman killed Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home.

Read More: Trump Says He Will Attend Funeral for Slain Ally Charlie Kirk

In addition to murder, Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a gun causing injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. Robinson faces 25 years to life in prison for these charges if he avoids the death penalty.

Utah is one of 23 states that currently allows for the death penalty to be imposed.

Read More: The Killing of Charlie Kirk Puts the US Death Penalty in Focus

Speaking to reporters before departing the White House, Trump said his administration will be working with Utah authorities.

“The state is very competent,” Trump said. “The governor is doing a very good job.”

Judge Tony F. Graf of Utah County’s 4th District Court scheduled a virtual hearing for Sept. 29 for Robinson to elect whether to let the case proceed on a fast track to trial or to challenge the prosecution’s evidence. If Robinson chooses the latter, a judge will review evidence and decide whether there is “probable cause” to believe a crime was committed and a trial should be held. Robinson would then enter a plea to the charges.

Allegations

According to court documents, Robinson’s parents brought him to the sheriff’s office on Sept. 11 after recognizing him in surveillance images of the shooting. His mother allegedly told investigators she recognized her son as the person in the photos, while his father said the rifle in the images appeared to match one he had given his son as a gift.

Gray said DNA matching Robinson was discovered on the trigger of the rifle that investigators believe was used in the shooting.

The filing also details messages obtained from Robinson’s roommate, who was in a romantic relationship with him. Investigators said that on the day of the shooting Robinson left a note under a computer keyboard that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

In later text exchanges, Robinson wrote: “I am, I’m sorry” when asked if he was the gunman, according to the court documents. Robinson allegedly described hiding the rifle and discarding the clothing, and that he urged the roommate to delete the messages and remain silent if questioned by police.

When his roommate asked why he decided to shoot Kirk, Robinson replied: “I had enough of his hatred,” according to court documents.

“Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” he said.

(An earlier version of the story corrected the spelling of Robinson’s name.)

--With assistance from Pierre Paulden and Hadriana Lowenkron.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Madlin Mekelburg in Utah at mmekelburg@bloomberg.net;
Bob Van Voris in federal court in Manhattan at rvanvoris@bloomberg.net;
Myles Miller in New York at mmiller899@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net

Peter Blumberg

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. Used with permission.