The FBI says it has confirmed that DNA on multiple objects associated with Charlie Kirk’s assassination match Tyler James Robinson, the suspected killer.
Kirk was shot and killed during a “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. Robinson is believed to have shot Kirk from the roof of the Losee Center, a building next to the grassy amphitheater at UVU where Kirk was interacting with 3,000 students and visitors.
Robinson was apprehended at approximately 10 p.m. in Washington City, Utah, on Thursday night, after a statewide manhunt was carried out.
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News, Monday morning, three objects connected to Kirk’s murder have been connected to Robinson as well. They include:
- A screwdriver found on UVU’s roof containing Robinson’s DNA.
- The towel the firearm was wrapped in containing Robinson’s DNA.
- A note written by Robinson before the killing.
The firearm itself is currently being processed by ATF authorities in Maryland.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told ABC, Robinson has not confessed to authorities, and he is not cooperating with investigators.
However, the people around Robinson have been helpful in the investigation. “We can confirm that his roommate was indeed a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female and that he is cooperating with authorities,” Cox said.
The note Robinson allegedly wrote before killing Kirk
The FBI has put together a note Robinson allegedly wrote prior to the assassination, Patel told Fox News.
“The written note, we believe, did exist, and we have evidence to show what was in that note. The suspect wrote a note saying, ‘I have the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it,’” Patel said.
Patel said the note was found in Robinson and his partner’s home in St. George. It had been destroyed, but they put together “forensic evidence” and confirmed what it said.
Tyler Robinson confesses after murder in private Discord group
In a small private Discord group of online friends, Robinson sent a message on Thursday night, two hours before being taken into custody. The conversation was given to The Washington Post by two users in the group, who requested anonymity.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” Tyler wrote. “It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
“im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments,” he said at 7:57 p.m. from Southern Utah. “thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything.”
No members of the group chat responded to Robinson’s message that night, but the next day someone in the group messaged and said it looked like Robinson’s confession was real. One friend asked group members to “pray for Tyler and his repentance.”
Messages that came before Robinson’s reacted to Kirk’s assassination.
“Charlie Kirk got shot,” one of Robinson’s friends wrote Wednesday afternoon. Another said, “I just saw the video holy (expletive).” An hour and a half later, another group chat member said of Kirk, “Bro didn’t deserve to go out like that sad.”
The difficulty of investigating Discord group chats
The FBI suspects that much of Robinson’s plans for Kirk’s murder will be found online in Discord group chats. However, getting access into those groups has proven to be difficult.
“People think we can just get in these group chats and just immediately find out who was in them,” Patel said. “There are scores of people in these Discord chatrooms, but we have to effectuate legal process. … We have to go out there with search warrants, so that if prosecutors want to use this evidence, it’s not tainted by being illegally obtained."
Patel added that he and his team have “learned some shocking things,” so far.
Cox has cited friends of Robinson who said the killer “was going deep” into the “deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet.”
Robinson’s family also “collectively told investigators that he subscribed to leftist ideology and even more so in the last couple of years,” Patel said.
How will Patel prevent the investigation from becoming politicized
When asked what he will do to prevent FBI agents — if they don’t want to talk about the transgender angle — from avoiding inquiry into it, Patel said he will continue to make findings public.
“There is no one at the FBI that is going to politicize this investigation,” he said. “There is no one at Quantico who is going to say, ‘We are not going to look at X or Y.’ We are looking at the facts, and that is why we’re releasing the facts in record fashion.”
Patel added that local authorities in Utah “have been fantastic,” naming the “Orem sheriff” — Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith — and Utah’s state police department.