The man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk is due in court Tuesday. However, prior to his hearing, he’ll likely be formally charged with aggravated murder.
The charge opens the door to a possible death penalty case.
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Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of shooting Kirk at an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk was speaking there on one of his many campus visits, where he asked attendees to debate with him.
The shooting sparked a two-day manhunt for Robinson, who law enforcement found a few counties away. He’s since been held without bail.
He’s expected to appear virtually in court after charges are filed.
Radicalization investigation
Investigators said Robinson isn’t cooperating and may have been radicalized online. They’re looking into his “leftist ideology” and whether others knew he was planning an attack.
“There appear to have been multiple warning signs; you just laid out some of them. There were people in his network, friends and family, who had stated that he had become more political,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News. “Family members said he’d become more political, leading us to believe that this ideology had infected him and had taken over.”
During the investigation, law enforcement found engraved bullet casings with phrases such as “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” on them.
Those who knew Robinson also told investigators that lately, he had spent a lot of time in the “dark corners of the internet.”
FBI officials said Robinson left behind a written note stating his intent to kill Kirk.
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News, “The written note, we believe, did exist. And we have evidence to show what was in that note, which is — and I’m going to summarize – basically saying ‘I’ – the suspect wrote a note saying, ‘I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m gonna take it.’ that note was written before the shooting.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said investigators are working on finding a motive for the attack. He added that more information may come out once Robinson appears for his initial court hearing.
Previously, Cox has made comments about Robinson’s romantic partner being transgender. Some have pointed to this as a sign that the suspect was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views. However, authorities have not said whether or not that played a role in the attack.
Patel to testify before house committees
Patel’s also facing criticism for a post he made right after the shooting, suggesting law enforcement had caught the suspect.
“The job of the FBI is not just to manhunt the actual suspect who did the killing, or suspects, but it’s also to eliminate targets and eliminate subjects who are not involved in the process, and that’s what we were doing,” Patel said. “Could I have worded it a little better in the heat of the moment? Sure. But do I regret putting it out? Absolutely not.”
Patel is scheduled to testify before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on Tuesday and Wednesday, defending both the FBI’s response and his own leadership as the bureau faces escalating political pressure.
