By -jonathan more
Orem, Utah – September 17, 2025
In a stunning development that has gripped the nation, authorities have released a series of haunting text messages sent by Tyler James Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect accused of assassinating conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk. The messages, exchanged with his partner and roommate Lance Twiggs shortly after the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University (UVU), lay bare a seething hatred for Kirk’s political rhetoric. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson allegedly wrote, offering the clearest glimpse yet into what prosecutors describe as an ideologically driven execution.
The texts, disclosed by Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray during a press briefing on Wednesday, emerged as part of an intensifying investigation that has already linked Robinson to the crime through irrefutable forensic evidence. Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA and a vocal ally of former President Donald Trump, was gunned down last week mid-speech during his “American Comeback Tour” event on the UVU campus in Orem. The brazen attack, captured on graphic video that spread like wildfire across social media, has plunged the university—and the broader American political landscape—into mourning and recrimination.
Tyler Robinson’s texts to his partner after Charlie Kirk’s shooting were revealed by the authorities.(AP)
Eyewitness accounts paint a chaotic scene on September 11. Kirk, known for his unfiltered critiques of progressive policies, was fielding a question on transgender mass shooters—a topic that had ignited fierce debate in the audience—when a single rifle shot rang out from a nearby rooftop. The bullet struck Kirk in the neck, causing him to collapse onstage amid screams from the crowd of about 200 students and supporters. Paramedics rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries en route. “It was like the world stopped,” recalled UVU junior Emily Hargrove, who was seated in the front row. “Charlie was in the middle of a sentence, defending his views, and then… bang. Blood everywhere.”
The manhunt for the shooter, dubbed “Operation Eagle’s Shadow” by Utah law enforcement, spanned 33 grueling hours and involved hundreds of officers, FBI agents, and even drone surveillance. Surveillance footage released early in the search showed a white male in a black T-shirt emblazoned with an American flag and eagle, jeans, Converse sneakers, and a black baseball cap slipping through a wooded area near campus. Tips flooded in, but it was a family member’s tip-off that led agents to Robinson’s apartment in St. George, about 240 miles southwest of Orem.
Robinson, a third-year electrical apprenticeship student at Dixie Technical College with prior stints at Utah State and Utah Tech universities, was apprehended without incident on September 12. His father identified him from the police photos, and relatives cooperated fully, revealing a young man who had grown increasingly isolated and politicized in recent years. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, described Robinson as having been “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” despite hailing from a staunchly conservative family. “He’d become more political,” Cox said in an NBC interview, recounting a pre-attack dinner conversation where Robinson vented about Kirk’s upcoming UVU appearance. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had.”
The texts, timestamped mere hours after the shooting, capture Robinson’s frantic attempts to evade capture while grappling with the fallout. In one exchange, he lamented: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. It’s quiet, almost enough to get out, but there’s one vehicle lingering.” Another message followed: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” He added, “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”
Prosecutors say Robinson abandoned the rifle—a semi-automatic AR-15 style weapon—in a wooded thicket on the campus periphery, where it was later recovered wrapped in a towel bearing his DNA. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on Fox News that genetic material from the trigger and towel matched Robinson’s profile, extracted from a screwdriver he left on the rooftop sniper’s nest. In a particularly damning admission, Robinson texted: “To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret until I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.” He then urged Twiggs to “conceal the evidence” and delete their conversation history, prompting a witness tampering charge.
Compounding the digital trail is a handwritten note Robinson left under a keyboard in his apartment: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Though the note was destroyed—likely by Twiggs under duress—forensic traces confirmed its existence and contents, per Patel. Authorities raided the St. George home, seizing electronics that revealed Robinson’s “obsession” with Kirk, including social media posts criticizing his anti-LGBTQ+ stances.
Robinson’s partner, identified as transgender by Governor Cox, has been interviewed but not charged. Twiggs reportedly alerted authorities after the texts, leading to the arrest. “This was a targeted hit,” Patel asserted, calling it “clearly an ideologically motivated attack.” Robinson, uncooperative since his capture, appeared in court Tuesday clad in an “anti-suicide smock”—a padded garment designed to prevent self-harm in high-risk inmates. He faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors, led by Gray, intend to seek the death penalty, citing the premeditated nature of the crime.
The assassination has reverberated far beyond Utah, igniting a firestorm of partisan blame. Conservatives, including Vice President JD Vance—who hosted a special episode of Kirk’s podcast on Monday—have decried it as the inevitable fruit of “leftist radicalization” fueled by online echo chambers. “Charlie was a warrior for truth,” Vance said, vowing to continue the “fight against the woke mob.” Progressives, meanwhile, point to Kirk’s inflammatory rhetoric, including recent comments linking transgender individuals to violence, as a catalyst for extremism on both sides. “This isn’t justification, but it’s a symptom of our divided nation,” said Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren in a statement.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, broke her silence in an emotional ABC News interview, describing her husband’s final moments. “He was passionate, alive, changing lives—and then gone in an instant,” she said, tears streaming. A public memorial is slated for next week in Phoenix, where Turning Point USA is headquartered. The organization has suspended campus events nationwide amid threats, while UVU has bolstered security and offered counseling to traumatized students.
As the probe deepens, questions linger: Was Kirk targeted solely for his anti-transgender views, as speculated? Robinson’s unaffiliated voter registration and lack of voting history suggest a lone-wolf actor, detached from organized groups. Co-workers told investigators he “walked away” during political discussions, a red flag ignored until now.
This tragedy underscores America’s deepening fault lines, where words can wound as deeply as bullets. For a nation still reeling from election-year vitriol, Kirk’s death is a grim reminder that hatred, left unchecked, negotiates nothing. As Gray put it: “Some hate can’t be talked out—it demands justice.”
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