Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 |
In Utah, prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man charged on Tuesday with last week’s murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk during a rally at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The attack was carried out during Kirk’s appearance in a courtyard on the campus.
County Attorney Jeff Gray announced the charges prior to the appearance of Robinson in court to hear the charges against him.
The prosecutor will seek the death penalty against 22-year-old Robinson, the man accused of killing the conservative activist.
Robinson is charged in court documents with seven counts, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice for allegedly hiding the rifle and clothing worn during the shooting, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent offense in the presence of a child.
On Tuesday afternoon, Judge Tony Graf appointed an attorney to represent Robinson. After reviewing the suspect’s financial situation, the judge found that Robinson is indigent, meaning he cannot afford legal fees.
The next hearing date for the suspected shooter is set for September 29, 10 a.m. local time.
According to the Utah prosecutor, Robinson told his roommate, a transgender man, that he had planned the shooting for over a week and said he hoped to keep it a secret until he “died of old age.”
Robinson was sloppy before and after the murder of Kirk, which happened one week ago today. The suspect left a trail of incriminating text messages, as well as physical evidence, including an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt action rifle – wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus in Orem.
Judge Graf, in Utah’s Fourth District Court, ordered Robinson, who wore a suicide resistant vest during the video hearing, to remain in jail without bail. The judge advised the defendant that prosecutors will seek the death penalty in the case.
Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating as many as 20 people who had some level of knowledge of the attack prior to the killing of Kirk on September 10, 2025.
