Prosecutors cite Charlie Kirk suspect's texts
The man charged with murder in the slaying of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a public event at Utah Valley University in Orem last week admitted in a text message to his roommate on the day of the shooting that he had committed the crime, courts documents allege.
According to a criminal information document filed Tuesday by Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray, the roommate of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson questioned him about the incident in a text message exchange on Wednesday, Sept. 10, after the shooting had occurred earlier that day.
Prosecutors said Robinson first texted his roommate, whose name has not been released, to "drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard" at the apartment they shared in St. George, a city in southwestern Utah where Robinson is from.
The roommate found a note under the keyboard that read, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it," the court documents state. Police found a photo of that note, the attorney's office said. Authorities did not say in the documents if the note itself was destroyed.
Robinson then texted his roommate that he was "stuck in" Orem "for a little while longer," the documents state.
"Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still," Robinson wrote in the text exchange that the roommate provided to investigators.
The "bolt-action rifle" that is believed to have been used in the shooting was found wrapped in a towel hidden in a wooded area nearby the campus, Gray stated in the court documents.
"To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age," Robinson allegedly wrote in a text.
When the roommate asked Robinson if he was Kirk's shooter, Robinson replied, "I am, I'm sorry," the court documents state.
"I thought they caught the person?" the roommate wrote.
Robinson allegedly replied that "no, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing," seemingly in reference to two persons of interest who had been detained by law enforcement in connection with the shooting prior to Robinson's arrest.
One of those people was released, and the second, identified as George Zinn, was charged with obstruction of justice because he falsely claimed to be the shooter, the Utah Department of Public Safety said Tuesday. There was no evidence, however, that Zinn colluded with Robinson, Utah DPS said.
When his roommate asked why he had carried out the shooting, Robinson responded, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out," the court documents state.
In the text exchange, Robinson allegedly repeatedly expressed concern about whether he will be able to retrieve the hidden rifle, which he indicated originally belonged to his grandfather.
"I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down," Robinson wrote, according to the court documents.
He texts that he's "worried what" his father "would do if I didn't bring back grandpas rifle." He also says he's unsure if the rifle has a serial number, but that he doesn't believe it would be traced to him regardless, according to the court documents.
"I worry about prints I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits," Robinson allegedy wrote. "I didn't have the ability or time to bring it with. ... I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find prints."
When asked by his roommate how long he had planned the attack, Robinson replied, "a bit over a week I believe," documents state.
He allegedly later asks his roommate to "delete this exchange" and avoid speaking to the media. He also writes that "Im gonna turn myself in willingly."
According to the court documents, Robinson's parents recognized their son from the surveillance photos released of the shooting, and eventually his father was able to convince Robinson to come to their St. George home, and with the help of a family friend, and surrender to authorities on Friday, Sept. 12.
According to the documents, Robinson's mother told investigators that her son had started dating his roommate, whom she said was transitioning from male to female. Two law enforcement sources told CBS News over the weekend that Robinson's roommate was cooperating with investigators and is not expected to be charged at this point.
Robinson, who authorities allege shot Kirk from the roof of a campus building before fleeing — sparking a two-day manhunt, appeared virtually Tuesday in his first court appearance. He is charged with one count each of aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm, and two counts each of obstruction of justice and witness tampering. He also faces one misdemeanor count of committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Following Robinson's initial court appearance, the state of Utah filed its intent to seek the death penalty.
A spokesperson for Discord also confirmed to CBS News on Monday that Robinson appeared to admit to committing the shooting in messages posted to the social media platform last week.
Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.
