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Utah prosecutors sentenced Tyler Robinson to death at a campus event held at the University of Utah on September 10.
Mr. Robinson appeared in Utah court via video link, wearing a green Kevlar vest, facing seven charges, including aggravated murder, the only offence qualifying for the death penalty in Utah. The shooting happened because of Mr. Kirk, co-founder of the U.S. Turn Point, also a well-known conservative voice who mobilized youth votes for President Trump’s 2024 election victory, and he is having a Q&A session with thousands of students in Greene on campus.
At the moment of the shooting, a student asked Kirk for conservative views about transgender people and mass shootings. Mr. Robinson, a college dropout who allegedly enrolled from St. George, Utah, shot Kirk from the roof using his grandfather’s Mauser bolt.
According to prosecutors, Mr. Robinson’s mother told authorities that her son was increasingly embracing left-wing ideology and dating his trans roommate, Lance Twiggs. A text message between Mr. Robinson and Twiggs revealed Mr. Robinson’s confession and motivation: “I was hated by him. Some hatred cannot be negotiated.”
Mr Robinson admitted that more than a week of attacks were planned and inscribed with news of Antifa and the cultivation of subcultures as bullet shells, which he was later described as “mostly a big meme.” The investigation gained momentum when Mr. Robinson’s family recognized him in images released by the FBI and determined that the rifle belonged to his grandfather.
DNA evidence was recovered from the weapon, and the towels used to wrap it after Mr. Robinson abandoned it in nearby woods. Mr. Robinson initially thought he might have escaped discovery, and if he could retrieve the rifle was not noticed, told Twiggs: “If I could not see my rifle, I would have no evidence.”
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that Mr Robinson’s Discord chat team is under investigation and all participants are now targeting the ongoing investigation. Mr Robinson faces additional charges, including obstruction of justice, attempts to hide evidence and witness instructions to direct Twiggs to remove his communications, and remain silent if the police contacted the police.
Utah County Judge Tony Graf appointed the public defender of Mr. Robinson, who was ruled as impoverished, and approved the protection order of Mr. Kirk’s legacy, Erika Kirk. The next court hearing is scheduled to take place on September 29.
Utah maintains the death penalty and includes using the squad as a method of execution, although only two prisoners have been executed since 2010.
Read more: Utah prosecutors to seek death penalty in Charlie Kirk’s murder
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