Suspected killer of Kirk refuses to confess and will not cooperate with investigators - BBC
Photo: right-wing activist Charlie Kirk (Gage Skidmore/flickr.com)
The suspect in the murder of activist Charlie Kirk is not cooperating with law enforcement and has still not confessed to the crime. The motive of the detainee, Tyler Robinson, has not yet been established, BBC reports.
22-year-old Tyler Robinson was detained 33 hours after the murder of 31-year-old right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in the city of Orem. The suspect is from Utah and was "deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology," according to his friends and relatives.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox noted that among those cooperating with authorities was Robinson’s roommate. He is Robinson’s partner, who is currently transitioning from male to female, but it is not yet known whether this information is relevant to the investigation.
Cox added that the partner had no knowledge of the shooting and is now actively cooperating with investigators.
Confession online
The governor was also asked about a New York Times report claiming that after the shooting, Robinson communicated with others via the Discord platform.
Specifically, the suspect allegedly joked that he was the shooter. After analyzing the messages, Times journalists found that it appeared to be his "doppelgänger" trying to "frame him."
"All we can confirm is that those conversations definitely were happening, and they did not believe it was actually him. It was, it was all joking until he admitted that it actually was him," Governor Cox said on ABC News.
He added that investigators are questioning everyone who knew the suspect and are trying to determine what the actual motive for the crime was.
Criticism of social media
After Kirk’s death, Governor Cox actively called for unity to reduce political tension and repeatedly criticized social media.
Earlier, he had called social media a "cancerous" and said that the US needs to "get phones out of the classrooms" and hold platform owners more accountable.
He described the shooting of Kirk as a "direct assault on America" and added that Americans should "look in the mirror and decide, are we going to try to make it better, or are we going to make it worse?"
Murder of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk was one of the most prominent right-wing activists in the US and a trusted ally of former President Donald Trump.
His organization, Turning Point USA, promoted conservative ideas on college campuses with liberal-leaning students and played a key role in mobilizing voters to support Trump and other Republican candidates in last year’s elections.
Kirk was a staunch supporter of gun rights, strongly opposed abortion, criticized transgender and LGBTQ+ movements, and spread false claims about COVID-19.
His views drew sharp criticism from liberals, and opponents called his statements deeply offensive to certain minorities, including the LGBTQ+ community and Muslims.
On September 10, during open debates at Utah Valley University, Kirk was shot and killed.
On Thursday, September 11, Tyler Robinson turned himself in to the police and was arrested.
A written statement under oath in the state of Utah confirms that Robinson was arrested on suspicion of committing the following crimes: aggravated murder, criminal use of a firearm, and obstruction of justice.
The suspect was placed in the Utah County Jail without bail and is under special supervision pending an evaluation of his mental health.
Robinson confessed to the crime to a family member and allegedly considered taking his own life. He faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.
