Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Sunday that the suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is "not co-operating" with authorities and has not confessed, as investigators continue to interview friends and family to determine a motive.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody about 33 hours after Kirk, 31, was shot dead at an open-air Turning Point USA event on the campus of Utah Valley University. Robinson surrendered to police Thursday night and is being held without bail at the Utah County Jail. An affidavit from the state charges him with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice.
Speaking to ABC News, Cox said people around Robinson have been co-operating with the investigation even though the suspect himself has not admitted to carrying out the shooting. The governor reiterated concerns about online messages and social media in the aftermath of the killing and said investigators are interviewing "all kinds of people — everyone that knows him — and trying to learn more about what the motive actually was."
Cox addressed a New York Times report that alleged Robinson had communicated with others on the Discord messaging platform after the shooting, including messages in which he purportedly joked about being the gunman. The governor said, "All we can confirm is that those conversations definitely were happening, and they did not believe it was actually him. It was, it was all joking until, until he, you know, until he admitted that it actually was him."
Cox also told the Wall Street Journal earlier that Robinson, a Utah native, was "deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology," an assessment the governor said on CNN's State of the Union was based on information provided by the suspect's friends and family. Cox cautioned that more detailed evidence will be available once formal charges are filed and the criminal case moves forward.
Investigators have said they are interviewing acquaintances and relatives to reconstruct Robinson's movements and motives. The governor confirmed that one person co-operating with law enforcement is Robinson's roommate, who he said was also his partner. Cox said the partner had no knowledge of the alleged shooting, had been "incredibly co-operative" and was working with investigators. He also said the partner was in the process of transitioning but said authorities do not yet know whether that is relevant to the probe.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent right-wing activist, was speaking as part of an American Comeback Tour that had taken him to college campuses nationwide. The shooting at the Utah Valley University event prompted immediate national attention and renewed scrutiny of political violence and the role of online platforms in circulating extremist rhetoric and private communications.
Local and state law enforcement continue to investigate and have not released a public motive. Prosecutors and police have indicated more information will be made available as the case advances through the criminal justice system.