By MICHAEL BIESECKER and JIM MUSTIAN, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The household of the younger Utah man accused of taking pictures Charlie Kirk informed authorities he had just lately develop into “extra political” and recounted a dinner desk dialog the place they mentioned whether or not the conservative activist was spreading hate.
Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated homicide, felony discharge of a firearm inflicting severe bodily hurt, and obstruction of justice, all felonies, in line with a possible trigger assertion filed in court docket and launched Friday. A choose ordered that he be held with out bail.
Robinson is registered to vote however is just not affiliated with a political occasion, in line with Utah state data. He was additionally listed as inactive, that means he had not voted in at the least the final two basic elections.
State and federal court docket data don’t present any prior prison instances involving him.
His listed deal with within the possible trigger assertion is the six-bedroom house of his dad and mom, who personal a granite countertop enterprise and are registered to vote as Republicans.
It wasn’t instantly clear Friday whether or not Robinson had a protection lawyer who may touch upon his behalf. Messages searching for remark left Friday with members of the family together with his dad and mom obtained no response.
Robinson has two youthful brothers and his dad and mom have been married for about 25 years, in line with social media posts. The household lives in a suburb of St. George, a metropolis within the southern a part of the state a few 3 1/2 hour drive from the Utah Valley College campus the place authorities say Robinson shot and killed Kirk.
An honor roll scholar in highschool who scored within the 99th percentile nationally on standardized assessments, he was admitted to Utah State College in 2021 on a prestigious tutorial scholarship, in line with a video of him studying his acceptance letter posted to a member of the family’s social media account. He attended for just one semester, in line with a college spokesperson.
Robinson is at the moment enrolled as a third-year scholar within the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical Faculty in St. George.
Social media posts by Robinson’s mom mirror an energetic household with holidays to Disneyland, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Alaska. They often hung out open air — boating, fishing, driving ATVs, zip-lining and goal taking pictures. A 2017 put up reveals the household visiting a navy facility and posing with assault rifles. A younger Robinson is proven smiling as he grips the handles of a 50-caliber heavy machine gun.
“He wouldn’t actually speak to you until you stated one thing to him,” stated Durban Mickelson, who stated Robinson would often purchase provides from the shop the place Mickelson works in St. George. “Simply at all times very quiet, stored to himself.”
After he graduated from highschool in 2021, Robinson’s mom praised her eldest son for his smarts and tutorial success on her social media web page, and each his dad and mom helped him transfer into his dorm at Utah State that fall. She didn’t have any public Fb posts after 2022.
The break within the case got here after a member of the family of Robinson reached out to a household pal with data that Robinson had “confessed” or implied involvement within the taking pictures, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox informed reporters Friday, shortly after Robinson was taken into custody.
Cox stated it’s believed that Robinson acted alone. Members of the family stated Robinson “had develop into extra political lately,” Cox stated, describing a current household dinner during which Robinson talked about that Kirk deliberate to talk at UVU.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox stated, referring to Robinson and an unnamed member of the family. “The member of the family additionally acknowledged Kirk was filled with hate and spreading hate.”
Authorities then interviewed a pal of Robinson’s who confirmed them a sequence of messages on the social media platform Discord during which Robinson mentioned acquiring a gun.
When authorities took him into custody, court docket data present, Robinson additionally was carrying clothes “constant” with surveillance pictures of the particular person of curiosity.
Cox stated ammunition discovered on the scene had engravings that reference meme tradition and referred to fascism.
Mustian reported from New York. Related Press journalists Brian Slodysko and Collin Binkley in Washington, Jack Brook in New Orleans, and Ali Swenson and Randy Herschaft in New York additionally contributed.
This model corrects the supply of some data to a possible trigger assertion, as an alternative of charging paperwork.
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