Things moved quickly in the investigation into the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. On Tuesday, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced formal charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson and said prosecutors will seek the death penalty in the case.
Robinson is charged with multiple felonies, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, Gray said during a press conference. The filing alleges Robinson targeted Kirk while he was speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus.
At the press conference, Gray announced he had filed a notice of intent to seek capital punishment based on the alleged facts and aggravating circumstances in the case. Prosecutors told reporters they believe the killing was premeditated and pointed to evidence collected during the investigation.
Text messages and other communications that investigators recovered are central to the charging information. According to charging documents and statements from Gray, messages between Robinson and his roommate indicate Robinson planned the attack for roughly a week. In one quoted message, Robinson reportedly told a close contact the motive was that Kirk “spreads too much hate” and that “some hate can’t be negotiated out.” Prosecutors also say Robinson told confidants he intended to grab a rifle “unseen” so he would “have left no evidence.”
Authorities say Robinson was taken into custody after family members recognized him in FBI-released images and helped persuade him to surrender. Prosecutors and law enforcement have described additional investigative leads — including digital communications and physical evidence recovered near the scene — that informed the charges. Robinson is being held without bail as the case proceeds.
The filing and Gray’s announcement mark the beginning of what is expected to be an extensive prosecution. The notice to pursue the death penalty means the case will follow a capital litigation track under Utah law; defense and prosecution will now move through the pretrial process that could include motions over admissibility of evidence, competency and sentencing factors. Legal experts say the coming weeks and months will be critical as investigators and attorneys build and test the factual record.
