Washington, D.C. — Newly filed court documents and witness testimony reported by CNN on Tuesday have shed light on how Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of fatally shooting American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, confessed to the crime after his parents urged him to surrender.
According to the filings, Robinson’s mother first identified him when the FBI released surveillance images of the suspected gunman. She told investigators the photos resembled her son, though Robinson initially claimed he had been “home sick.” Her suspicions deepened when she recognised the firearm under investigation as one his grandfather had given him.
At a press briefing, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Robinson’s father pressed him to send a photo of the weapon. When Robinson refused, he suggested he intended to end his own life. His parents persuaded him to return home, where he admitted to the shooting, reportedly telling them, “There is too much evil, and the guy (Kirk) spreads too much hate.”
Charging papers also detail incriminating text messages between Robinson and his roommate, who was also his romantic partner. In one exchange:
Roommate: “You weren’t the one who did it, right????”
Robinson: “I am, I’m sorry.”
Roommate: “I thought they caught the person?”
Robinson: “No, they grabbed some crazy old dude… I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down.”
Gray further revealed that Robinson had left a note under his computer keyboard, discovered by his roommate, which read: “Well I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” A photograph of the note was later recovered by police.
Kirk was shot in the neck while answering a question about mass shootings involving transgender individuals. The bullet narrowly missed several bystanders, including children near the stage. He collapsed instantly and was pronounced dead in hospital.
Robinson’s mother told investigators her son had become increasingly political in recent years, leaning left and vocal in support of LGBTQ+ rights. She also disclosed that he was dating his roommate, “a biological male who was transitioning genders,” according to the filings.
On September 11, 2025, a day after the shooting, Robinson voluntarily turned himself in at the Washington County sheriff’s office with his parents and a family friend.
Describing the killing as “an American tragedy,” Gray said Kirk was murdered while exercising “the free exchange of ideas, the bedrock of our democratic republic.”
FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate that investigators are also examining an online chat group of more than 20 people who were in contact with Robinson before the shooting.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and discharging a firearm in the presence of children. He is being held without bail and could face the death penalty if convicted.
