5 things to know about Charlie Kirk murder suspect Tyler Robinson
1. After Kirk’s murder, the suspect joked his ‘doppelganger’ did it
The day after Kirk was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University, several acquaintances on Discord joked about the possibility of Robinson being the killer, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The outlet obtained the Discord group chat messages from someone who claimed to have known the suspect since high school. The group reportedly included about 20 people.
After the FBI released surveillance images of a young man wearing a cap and sunglasses, asking for help in identifying the suspect, one Discord user sent the photo and a skull emoji to Robinson in a message, writing, “wya? (where you at?)”
One minute later, Robinson replied that his “doppelganger” was trying to get him in trouble. Another Discord user teasingly wrote, “Tyler killed Charlie!!!!,” while another user joked about turning Robinson in for the $100,000 reward offered by the FBI.
“Only if I get a cut,” the shooting suspect replied.
Robinson even speculated about the shooter’s background after one user wondered if President Donald Trump would send the National Guard to Utah over Kirk’s murder. The 22-year-old suspect expressed doubt about this, writing, “in a red state??? nah CLEARLY the shooter was from california.”
Other comments made by the 22-year-old suspect in the Discord chat suggest that he was following news reports about the manhunt, according to The New York Times.
In one Discord message, Robinson cited a report claiming that the ammunition used in the shooting was engraved with radical leftwing messaging, including transgender ideology. The shooting suspect noted in his message that officials with the FBI hadn’t confirmed the report.
Authorities arrested Robinson after the suspect’s father persuaded his son to turn himself in, according to officials.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
