TRANSCRIPT:
The man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 22 year-old Tyler James Robinson, has now formally been charged with aggravated murder.
Appearing by video link from jail, Robinson heard Judge Tony Graf outline the most serious of the charges.
"For count one, aggravated murder, a capital felony and violation of Utah Code Annotated 76-5-202. In that on September 10th, 2025, in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, intentionally or knowingly caused the death of Charlie Kirk under the following circumstances. The defendant knowingly created a great risk of death to another individual other than Charlie Kirk, and the defendant. Notice conviction of this offence may carry the death penalty or, pursuant to Utah Code 763-207.7."
Prosecutors have already signalled they will seek capital punishment if Robinson is convicted.
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray has also since provided the first detailed account of what is alleged to have happened on the 10th of September.
He has described how surveillance footage captured Robinson running from the rooftop from where he allegedly fired upon Mr Kirk.
"Immediately after the shot was fired, a camera captures the suspect running across the roof carrying an item whose shape is consistent with a rifle. ... Law enforcement officers followed the suspect's escape path to the northeast end of campus, where they believed the suspect left campus and entered a wooded area. In that wooded-area, investigators found a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel. The rifle contained one spent round and three unspent rounds."
Prosecutors say Robinson left a paper note for his roommate, stating that he was going to take the opportunity to kill Mr Kirk.
"After reading the note, the roommate responded: 'What? You're joking, right?' Robinson: 'I am still OK, my love. But I'm stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.' Roommate: 'You aren't the one who did it right?' Robinson: 'I am. I am. I'm sorry.'”
Texts released by investigators show him later allegedly admitting to the crime and explaining that he was struggling with what he called Mr Kirk’s hatred.
But Robinson didn’t vanish as expected following the shooting.
In fact, he was texting about trying to recover the rifle he had hidden near where he shot Mr Kirk, telling his roommate that a police car was parked close to where the rifle was.
As for Robinson's parents, when they saw the photo released by law enforcement of Mr Kirk's shooter, prosecutors say they had a sinking feeling.
"Robinson's mother stated the following to police. In September 11th, 2025, the day after the shooting, Robinson's mother saw the photo of the shooter in the news and thought the shooter looked like her son. Robinson's mother called her son and asked her where he was. He said that he was home sick and that he had also been at home seek on September 10th. Robinson's mother expressed concern to her husband that the suspect shooter looked like Robinson. Robinson's father agreed."
That digital trail of messages between Robinson and his lover, combined with his parents’ concerns, ultimately led to his arrest.
Authorities have also brought a separate charge of witness-tampering, saying Robinson tried to persuade his roommate, who is reported by local outlets to be a transgender partner, to stay quiet and delete messages.
Mr Kirk was coincidentally shot as he was answering a question about gun violence committed by transgender individuals.
The roommate has since cooperated fully with police.
Charlie Kirk was a divisive figure.
In 2012, at the age of 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA and became a prominent ally of Donald Trump.
His supporters credit him with mobilising conservative youth, while his critics accuse him of racist, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric.
The case has spilled into Washington politics.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, F-B-I Director Kash Patel faced tough questioning about his agency’s handling of the early stages of the investigation.
Initially two people were identified as suspects, but they were later cleared, their names leaked on social media, prompting death threats against them.
“What the FBI does is not just locate and find suspects, but we also participate in eliminating subjects. And what we had at the time was a subject in custody in relation to this investigation. So in my commitment to work with the public to help identify subjects and suspects, I put that information out. And then when we interviewed him, I put out the results of that. And could I have been more careful in my verbiage and included an ‘A’ subject instead of subject? Sure.”
Beyond law enforcement, Mr Kirk’s allies in government have vowed to turn his death into a rallying cause.
US Vice President JD Vance and senior adviser Stephen Miller used Mr Kirk’s own talk show to call for a crackdown on left-wing groups they have accused of fomenting violence.
"The last message that Charlie sent me was, I think it was just the day before we lost him, which was that we need to have an organised strategy to go after the left-wing organizations that are promoting violence in this country. And I will write those words onto my heart, and I will carry them out. You know people ask me, you know, what emotions I'm feeling right now? You know this is something people say, I mean, you kind of know the answer. There's incredible sadness, but there is incredible anger. And the thing about anger is that unfocused anger or blind rage is not a productive emotion. But focused anger, righteous anger directed for a just cause, is one of the most important agents of change in human history."
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One bound for the United Kingdom, President Trump said he will be attending Mr Kirk's memorial service this weekend.
"There’s never been a time like this. We had a horrible tragedy, we're going to have to do something about that. We can't let that happen. So I'll be going to the service on Sunday, coming back, and I guess a lot of you coming out with us."
