Utah County prosecutors filed seven felony charges on Tuesday against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a Utah Valley University campus event last week, and said they would seek the death penalty. Prosecutors also said Robinson’s political ideology had moved to the left prior to the attack.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the charges during a press conference on Tuesday, describing the shooting as a politically motivated act of violence carried out in front of children and hundreds of spectators.
“Charlie Kirk was murdered while engaging in one of our most sacred and cherished American rights — the free exchange of ideas,” Gray said. “The defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on his political expression and did so knowing children were present and would witness the homicide.”
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child. The aggravated murder charge is a capital offense.
Gray said his office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty, adding he decided to do so independently and based solely on the evidence and nature of the crime. As a result, Robinson will remain in custody without bail.
The shooting occurred just after noon on Sept. 10 as Kirk was speaking at an outdoor Turning Point USA event. Prosecutors allege Robinson fired a high-powered bolt-action .30-06 rifle from a rooftop more than 150 yards away, striking Kirk in the neck while he was answering a question about transgender mass shooters.
Children were visible near the stage at the time of the attack, and the bullet’s trajectory narrowly missed others in Kirk’s immediate vicinity, according to the county’s 10-page charging document.
Police later recovered the rifle and said Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger. He allegedly discarded his clothing and told his roommate to delete incriminating text messages and stay silent if questioned by law enforcement.
Robinson surrendered to police on Sept. 11 after a 33-hour manhunt, which was resolved in part due to his parents agreeing that the suspect’s photo “looked like their son” and cooperating with authorities, Gray said.
A member of Robinson’s family told investigators that Robinson’s views had moved toward the left in recent years and that Robinson had become more “pro-gay” and more pro-transgender rights.
This is a developing story and will be updated.