Tyler Robinson told his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and not to speak with police after the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Tuesday as his office announced it will seek the death penalty.
Gray said Robinson, 22, will be formally charged Tuesday evening with felony aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and two counts of witness tampering for instructing the roommate to remain silent. Robinson has been held without bail since his arrest and is scheduled to appear via a virtual court hearing once charges are filed.
The victim, 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, was shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University, officials said. Gray described a sequence of messages and actions in which Robinson allegedly directed the roommate to "drop what you're doing, look under my keyboard," leading the roommate to find a note that read, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it," according to the prosecutor. The roommate then received follow-up instructions from Robinson to "delete this exchange" and to avoid talking to police or the media, Gray said.
Robinson and the roommate, identified by authorities as Lance Twiggs, a transgender woman, were in a romantic relationship, Gray said. Twiggs cooperated with investigators and provided screenshots of texts and other messages that authorities say link Robinson to the crime scene. Gray said Robinson confessed to his parents after the shooting, telling them, "There is too much evil and the guy spreads too much hate," and that Robinson's mother recognized him in surveillance images released by police.
Authorities said Robinson has not been cooperating with investigators. The FBI announced additional forensic links on Monday: Director Kash Patel told the Senate Judiciary Committee that DNA evidence connects Robinson to a towel wrapped around a rifle found near the Utah Valley campus and to a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where law enforcement says the fatal shot was fired. Patel also said the FBI is investigating a Discord gaming chatroom in which Robinson participated, looking into the roles of other members of the online group.
"We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence," Patel said during the hearing, according to a transcript released by the committee.
Gray said the two witness-tampering counts stem from Robinson's alleged instructions to the roommate to "don't talk to the media please or make any comments, if any police asks questions just ask for a lawyer and stay silent." FBI and local investigators have also examined physical evidence recovered near the scene and items connected to the rooftop where the shot was fired.
Robinson is expected to be arraigned after formal charging, and prosecutors said they will seek capital punishment. It was not immediately clear whether Robinson had retained a lawyer.
Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point, had been participating in a debate at Utah Valley University when he was shot. The shooting prompted an immediate law enforcement response and an investigation by local and federal authorities. Officials have not publicly identified a motive beyond the statements Gray said Robinson made to his parents.
Investigators continue to interview witnesses and pursue digital and forensic leads, including examination of communications and items recovered from the area. Authorities have emphasized that the inquiry remains active and that the FBI is coordinating inquiries into any possible broader involvement by other individuals who may have communicated with Robinson online.
No trial date has been set. Prosecutors will present the case in Utah County, where state law permits the pursuit of the death penalty in aggravated murder cases when certain statutory criteria are met.