Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, has been formally charged with a slew of offenses, including aggravated murder, with prosecutors announcing the intent to seek the death penalty.
Robinson, 22, has also been charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced on Tuesday.
Gray, who described Kirk's death as "an American tragedy," said he does not "take this decision lightly" in regard to seeking the death penalty for Robinson. The suspected shooter will continue to be held without bail.
Robinson made his first appearance in court virtually on Tuesday, where a judge read off the suspect’s charges. He will remain in custody.
He only said his name during the hearing and showed no emotion as the charges were read.
His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29. Robinson was expected to have an attorney by that time.
Robinson was arrested last week for felony discharge of a firearm, aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to probable cause documents, and was booked into the Utah County Jail.
Suspect allegedly confessed to killing Kirk, said there is 'too much evil'
Robinson was apprehended on the evening of Sept. 11 after his father recognized him in photographs released by authorities, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said last week.
"Robinson's father reported that when his wife showed him the surveillance image of the suspected shooter in the news, he agreed it looked like their son," according to the charging documents.
The suspect's father also believed the rifle police "suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift," the charging documents said.
Thus, his father reached out to the 22-year-old, asking him to "send a photo of the rifle," to which Robinson did not respond, the charging documents said.
When his father called Robinson, he implied he planned to "take his own life," with his parents convincing him to meet them at their home, the charging documents said.
"As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn't go to jail and just wanted to end it," the charging documents said.
His parents then asked their son why he committed this crime, to which he said "there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate," according to the charging documents.
The suspect's parents urged Robinson to speak with a family friend who is a deputy sheriff, who convinced him to turn himself in, charging documents said.
Exactly what Robinson was allegedly referring to by "hate" was not clear. Investigators noted that Robinson's mom told them that her son allegedly began having a relationship with his roommate, who is transitioning, and had begun leaning to the left more politically, becoming "more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented," but the document does not indicate the relevance of those stances or whether Kirk's remarks about those issues were a motivating factor.
Gray said he would let a judge determine whether the statements allegedly made constituted a confession. He declined to comment on whether Robinson has been cooperating or spoken to investigators.