Prosecutor: DNA on Trigger Links Suspect to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler James Robinson, was formally charged on Tuesday with aggravated murder in the assassination of conservative influencer and activist Charlie Kirk. The charge is a capital offense, meaning Robinson could face the death penalty if he is convicted.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the charges, revealing that investigators found Robinson’s DNA on the trigger of the bolt-action rifle used to fire the fatal shot and a note left behind.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said at a news conference. “Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights… the free exchange of ideas in a search for truth, understanding, and a more perfect union.”
READ: Discord Messages Tie Tyler Robinson To Kirk Assassination, FBI Investigation Expands
Gray stated that the charges allege Robinson intentionally or knowingly caused Kirk’s death under circumstances that created a great risk of death to others. The state is further alleging aggravating factors, claiming Robinson targeted Kirk based on his political expression and did so knowing that children were present and would witness the homicide.
The charges follow Kirk’s death on September 10 at Utah Valley University (UVU), where he was gunned down while speaking to a crowd of several hundred people at a Turning Point USA event. Prosecutors allege Robinson, positioned on the roof of the Hall of Flags, shot Kirk in the neck from approximately 160 yards away.
The event, the first in a series of similar events at college campuses nationwide, was highly publicized, drawing a significant number of attendees, including families with children.
READ: South Carolina Rep. Mace Moves To Censure Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar Over Kirk Comments
Court documents provide a detailed account of the investigation. A UVU police officer, watching the crowd from an elevated vantage point, heard the shot and immediately scanned for potential sniper positions.
Believing the sound came from a rifle, the officer rushed to a rooftop area adjacent to a public walkway and discovered markings in the gravel consistent with a person in a prone shooting position.
Surveillance footage from the area captured an individual in dark clothing, with an unusual gait suggesting a hidden rifle, entering campus and then crawling to the suspected shooting position. The camera recorded the individual running away with a rifle-shaped item immediately after the shot was fired. The suspect was seen dropping the item and running into a wooded area off-campus.
In that wooded area, investigators found a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel. The rifle contained one spent round and three unspent rounds.
The spent cartridge was etched with the phrase, “No Tice’s bulge, o w o, what’s this?” The unfired cartridges contained other inscriptions, including “Hey fascist, catch with Eros symbols,” “Bella, ciao, Bella, ciao, Bella, ciao, ciao, ciao,” and “If you read this, you are gay. Lmao!”
Forensic analysis found Robinson’s DNA on the trigger, other parts of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two of the three unfired cartridges, and the towel.
The manhunt for the shooter ended on the evening of September 11, 2025, when Tyler Robinson, accompanied by his parents and a family friend, turned himself in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
READ: New College Of Florida To Honor Charlie Kirk With Statue, Expands Socratic Stage Series
Robinson’s parents told police that the day after the shooting, they saw the surveillance photos of the suspect in the news and immediately thought it was their son.
They described how Robinson had become more political over the past year, “leaning more to the left” and becoming “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.” Robinson was dating his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. Robinson’s father also noted that the rifle used in the shooting matched a rifle he had given to his son as a gift.
When confronted by his parents, Robinson implied he was the shooter and stated he “couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it.” When asked why he did it, Robinson allegedly said, “There is too much evil and the guy referring to Charlie Kirk spreads too much hate.”
Police also interviewed Robinson’s roommate, who provided text messages from Robinson. One message told the roommate to “look under my keyboard,” where he found a note stating, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Robinson also texted his roommate, directing him to delete incriminating texts and to remain silent if questioned by police.
READ: Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty After Being Charged In Charlie Kirk Assassination
In addition to aggravated murder, Robinson faces six other charges: felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice for moving and concealing the rifle and disposing of his clothing, two counts of witness tampering for directing his roommate to delete texts and stay silent, and one count of commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Gray emphasized that the decision to seek the death penalty was made independently, based solely on the available evidence and the nature of the crime. Robinson will continue to be held without bail in the Utah County Jail.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics and a key ally of President Donald Trump, has sent shockwaves across a deeply polarized United States.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a major political organization that brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into the political sphere. His killing has amplified fears about the increasing threat of political violence and forced Americans to confront the deep societal divisions that continue to widen across the nation.
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