Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - FBI Investigating Chilling Conspiracy Theories in Charlie Kirk Killing

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

Charlie Kirk, the slain conservative activist, was remembered at a memorial service in Arizona on Sunday. During the service, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that every possibility was being investigated related to Kirk's murder including some things that have been labeled conspiracy theories, such as men on the ground who were part of Kirk's entourage giving so-called hand signals to the shooter. The post came as Kirk's wife, Erika, said during the service "I forgive him" when referring to the accused murderer, Tyler Robinson, 22. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy breaks down Patel's message and what Erika Kirk said in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:Therapy with NOCD is 100% virtual, and covered by insurance for over 155 million Americans. Plus, they provide support between sessions, so you're never navigating this alone.If any of this sounds familiar, visit nocd.com to book a free call with their team to learn more and get connected to someone who can help.https://mgln.ai/track/nocd.comHost:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest:Mark Weaver https://x.com/MarkRWeaverProducer:Jordan ChaconCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Wow, look at that. Beautiful. The investigation into Charlie Kirk's assassination, it's heating up with the FBI director revealing new details about what they've learned and what they've probed as Kirk's family and friends lay him to rest. I saw the wound that ended his life.

I'll share the comment from Erica Kirk that stunned the world and go through the very latest in the case. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy. Tyler Robinson is charged with murdering Charlie Kirk and he's in jail in Utah County, Utah being held without bail. But just because Robinson is charged as a shooter, that doesn't mean the investigation is over, far from him. it. As friends, supporters, and family of Charlie Kirk were honoring his life on Sunday, FBI director Cash Patel sent a post out on X about what the FBI is investigating. I'll get to that here in a few minutes. The county attorney says 22-year-old Robinson confessed to murdering Charlie Kirk using his grandfather's 30-0.6 rifle, but there are questions about

how and why Robinson made the decision to take Charlie Kirk's life. What made a one-time straight-A student and college scholarship recipient from a politically conservative family decide to take the life of a popular conservative activist because in his own words, he spread hate. County attorney Jeff Gray says Robinson was living with a roommate who was a male transitioning to female, and Robinson and the roommate were a couple, and that Robinson's mother told detectives that her son had moved to the left politically over the last year or so. Robinson's mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented. She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views.

In one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robinson said was a stupid venue for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate. Now, Gray read text messages in which he said Robinson confessed to his partner slash roommate to murdering Charlie Kirk. On September 10th, 2025, the roommate received a text message from Robinson, which said, Drop what you're doing, look under my keyboard. The roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, quote,

I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it. Police found a photograph of this note. The following text exchange then took place. After reading the note, the roommate responded, What? You're joking, right? Robinson. I am still okay, my love, but am stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I got to grab my rifle still. To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age.

I am sorry to involve you. Roommate, you weren't the one who did it. right? Robinson. I am. I am. I'm sorry. Roommate. I thought they caught the person. Robinson. No, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. 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. Rommate, why? Robinson. Why did I do it? Roommate. Yeah. Robinson. I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence.

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If any of this sounds familiar, visit nocd.com to book a free call with their team. team. That's nocd.com to learn more and get connected to someone who can help. The text messages, they're a full-blown confession. There's no doubt about it. And there are separate groups of them in the information filed by the county attorney. In the last set, the public knows about. Prosecutor Gray said Robinson, told his partner to not talk to law enforcement if approached. Roommate, how long have you been planning this? Robinson. A bit over a week I believe. 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 want to chance it. Robinson again, I'm wishing I had circled back

and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle. I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back Grandpa's rifle. IDEK, if it's had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. I worry about prints I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits didn't have the ability or time to bring it with. I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find prints. How the F will I explain losing it to my old man? Only thing I left was the rifle was the rifle wrapped in a towel. Remember how he was engraving bullets? The F in messages are mostly a big meme. If I see Notice Bulge UWU on Fox News, I might have a stroke all right. I'm going to have to leave it.

That really effing sucks. Judging from today, I'd say Grandpa's gun does just fine IDK. I think that was a $2K dollar scope. Wink, wink, Wink. Robinson Robinson again delete this exchange again Robinson my dad wants photos of the rifle

he says grandpa wants to know who has what the feds released a photo of the rifle and it is very unique he's calling me RN not answering Robinson since Trump got into office my dad

has been pretty diehard MAGA Robinson I'm going to turn myself in willingly one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff again you are all I worry about love that came from Robinson roommate I'm much more worried about you Robinson don't talk to the media please don't take any interviews or make any comments if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent Now, as far as we know, the prosecutor and the FBI consider the roommate, who we've not named, a cooperating witness. But in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, several conspiracy theories have made the rounds on social media. Some suggesting men on the ground were giving hand signals to the shooter.

The man in the white that you just saw is Dr. Frank Turrick, a mentor to Charlie Kirk, who actually spoke at his funeral service. I started FaceTime and my wife. I'm saying, look at this. This is incredible. Then I start FaceTime and my son and my daughter-in-law while Charlie sits down and begins to ask questions. Now, this is where you may have seen an internet conspiracy. The man in the white hat was giving signals to the shooter. Yeah, the man in the white hat was me, okay? I did this with my hat.

Maybe I touched my nose or something while I'm holding my phone because I'm FaceTime and my son and daughter-in-law. Now, Turek went on to say that the man in black. that you saw was Charlie Kirk's main security guy. There has also been speculation that a private jet that left an airport after Kirk was shot was somehow involved in his murder. A man named Derek Maxfield was on that flight, and he posted on Instagram that it was his company's plane. Maxfield wrote, any suggestion that the flights by N88KG yesterday are in any way connected

to the tragic shooting of Mr. Kirk is inaccurate, false, and without any crime. basis of any kind. So yesterday, as Charlie Kirk's friends, family supporters, and even the president and vice president of the United States were memorializing Charlie Kirk, FBI director Cash Patel posted on X that every possibility is being investigated. Take a look. Patel wrote, as the director of the FBI, I am committed to ensuring the investigation into Charlie Kirk's assassination is thorough and exhaustive, pursuing every lead to its conclusion. The full weight of America's law enforcement. Agencies are actively following the evidence that has emerged, but our efforts extend beyond initial findings. We are examining every facet of the assassination.

We are meticulously investigating theories and questions, including the location from where the shot was taken, the possibility of accomplices, the text message confession that I just read to you, and related conversations, discord chats, the angle of the shot and bullet impact, how the weapon was transported, hand gestures observed as potential signals near Charlie at the time of his assassination, and visitors to the alleged shooters residents in the hours and days leading up to September 10th, 2025. Some details are known today, while others are still being pursued to ensure every possibility is considered.

Our primary focus is to complete this investigation and deliver justice. To protect the integrity of the investigation and subsequent prosecution, we cannot release every piece of information we have to the public right now. We will ensure every question is addressed at the appropriate moment. Regarding specific details, such as questions about the plane that allegedly turned off its transponder after departing from an airport near the assassination site, we can share updates when answers are confirmed after interviews with the pilot and consultation with the FAA, we determined the transponder was not turned off. Incomplete flight data in rural areas caused the apparent gap. The entire FBI mourns the loss of Charlie Kirk. We will not rest until justices served.

and our investigation into this assassination will continue until every question is answered. Now, this is very interesting because he's diving into these conspiracy theories. Patel testified in front of Congress last week, and he said this about Discord, the messaging platform, whose spokesperson has said Tyler Robinson did not plan the crime on the site, but admitted to it after the fact, on that platform. Reports have suggested that the FBI is investigating a broader network of groups that may have had some knowledge of the shooter's plans. Can you give us any details on that following up what you already said in public? How's the FBI working to find other potential accomplices, folks who may have known about the shooter's plans, folks who may have

encouraged him, any update on any of that? So in terms of what we do for an interrogation perspective, we go and reach out to the family and community immediately. And we've conducted those investigations and interrogations with local law enforcement, and we're continuing to that because those closest to the suspect are going to hopefully know the most about the suspect and his beliefs and his ideology. On top of that, unfortunately, it has been leaked that there was a Discord chat. And for those unfamiliar with it, it's a gaming chat room online that the suspect participated in. So what we're doing, we've already done is sort of legal process, not just on Discord, so that the information we gathered is sustained and held

in a evidentiary posture that we could use in prosecution, should it be decided to do so. And we're also going to be investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat. Okay, very good. I see the public reports that the Discord thread had as many as 20 additional users. It sounds like you're trying to run down all of that to see if that's accurate, who else may have been on that thread, what they may have known. Is that fair to say? It's a lot more than that, and we're running them all down. It's a lot more than 20? Yes, sir. And you're running all of that to grab. Every single one. Now, Erica Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, and now the CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization that Kirk founded when he was just 18 years old, spoke at the service about the loss of her husband.

On the afternoon of September 10th, I arrived at a Utah hospital to do the unthinkable, to look directly at my husband's murdered body. I saw the wound that ended his life I felt everything you would expect to feel I felt shock I felt horror and a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed Now Erica Kirk says that doctors told her at the hospital

that Charlie Kirk did not suffer And from her, the woman who is mourning the loss of her husband and left to raise two young children without their father, she offered his alleged murderer. Words of grace. Take a listen. That young man. That young man. On the cross, our Savior said, Father, forgive them for they not know what they do. that man that young man I forgive him I want to bring in Mark Weaver

he is a prosecutor who practices in Ohio but has also prosecuted death penalty cases Mark I want your thoughts on Cash Patel's tweet he sends this out right in the middle of the Charlie Kirk memorial service. And he's basically saying this investigation is not over. They're investigating everything. The location of the shooting, the angle, the trajectory, of course, that will be part of the case, the possibility of accomplices, and the text message confession. The text message confession between Tyler Robinson and the roommate, it is kind of interesting. I mean, it's really stuck with me

and piqued my interest looking at that because it just seems like first of all not how 22 year olds talk and second of all just weird that you would just spill your guts about this to somebody who's your romantic partner over text and that the roommate's not picking up the phone and saying what the heck did you just say this generation does more by text than by phones we know that certainly a bizarre exchange a bizarre relationship and bizarre actions that ended up in a public assassination. I think what the FBI director is doing here is understanding that political assassinations in America have a history of conspiracy theories, with people thinking that not every lead was pursued, or that some evidence was hidden, or that there was some grand plot behind it

that was never revealed. So the FBI director wants people to know that this is a case they're taking seriously. Now, it won't be federal prosecutors bringing the case. It will be state prosecutors. And in death penalty cases, as you mentioned, I've worked on these. The jurors have to first come to unanimous verdict that the shooter is guilty, and then they have to have a separate hearing where they have to unanimously decide for the death penalty. And so by shutting down any possible conspiracy theories,

the FBI director is actually strengthening the ability of the prosecution to get the death penalty unanimously by both finding this shooter guilty and recommending the death penalty. And the FBI, of course, is assisting the Utah DPS and the prosecutors in Utah with this. They haven't ruled out the possibility of filing federal charges. They could always do that. But it seems like why would you do that if the states, if the states came, is strong and they can get a conviction. That's true. Now, Charlie Kirk was not a federal official. So in order for the federal

prosecutors to take, if they would have to be a basis under federal law, because most crimes are state crimes. Now, sometimes prosecutors will look at the jury pool, the respective jury pool, and which one might be more open to the death penalty. And when you get a federal district, you pull from a wider perspective, more people. Sometimes that might affect the decision about whether or not to pursue the death penalty in a state case, which is just the county where the crime occurred, or in a federal case, which is the entire federal district. I want to talk now about the Discord chats. There was a Discord group chat with more than 20 people on it, is what Cash Patel told the Judiciary Committee last week. And we know that the roommate

was on part of that. I talked to Discord. Discord basically told me Tyler Robinson did not plan this on Discord, did not discuss it until after the fact when he told his friends he was turning himself in. Apparently the roommate discussed with another person what Tyler Robinson had told him. But we don't really know what Tyler Robinson, who else he might have been talking to on Discord. Cash Patel said they're chasing down more than 20 people. So, could he have been radicalized Tyler Robinson on Discord or other social media platforms? Because we have a kid

who was 22 years old, a young adult who came from a conservative family and then his mom tells law enforcement just in the last year or so, over the last year or so, he had started to move politically more to the left and become more pro-rights, gay rights and pro-trans rights. And she makes it sound like he had become, you know, there had been a definite shift in his attitude and his ideology. For centuries, mothers have said to sons, I think you're hanging

around the wrong people. And up until about 30 years ago, mothers could notice physically who their sons were hanging around with. Now, with things like discord and the internet, mothers have no idea who their sons are interacting with while they're gaming or chatting. online. And so it's entirely possible that exposure to people from around the world with the same unbalanced views, deeply troubling, unbalanced views that this shooter seems to have did radicalize him in a way that probably wouldn't have been possible if he'd walk down his street and looked for somebody who had a similar outlook. He also talked about Cash Patel did in this tweet, investigating how the weapon was transported, the hand gestures observed as potential signals

at the time that Charlie Kirk was shot. We know that one of those was from one of Charlie Kirk's mentors, Frank Turrick. But there have been some videos posted on social media of people appearing to do certain things. We don't know what those meant. But he's saying, look, we're investigating everything. Do you think this is because they don't want conspiracy theories? floating around or simply because they're looking into whether anybody else was involved in

this. I think it's great to chase down every lead and release the information. Transparency breeds credibility. As you mentioned, the man of the white hat is Frank Turrick, who's a well-known Christian apologist and very close to Charlie. He has already publicly said he was FaceTiming with his son and daughter-in-law at that exact moment because he was trying to say, look how crazy the crowd is. We have so many people here. This is exciting. He had previously face-time with his wife, and now he was facetiming his son. So the man in the white hat holding the phone is not a signal. That's a father who's sharing with this son an exciting moment because his son was a fan of Charlie Kirk's.

The clip of the man in the black shirt, who is part of the security detail, shows him just moving his arms and either scratching or touching his arm. It's about a second. And we all know that a second of video can be so misleading. It could be anything. the notion that there needs to be a signal belies the fact that the shooter had a scope and a clear shot and could shoot at any time he wanted to. There's no need for a signal because the shooter had a clear shot.

What does your gut as a prosecutor tell you? I mean, you're privy to the information we have publicly. The information filed by the prosecutor, do you think potentially there were other people involved or do you think it's just too soon to say? It is too soon to say, but I was more, I was, I completely dismissed the notion of signals. I hope that the FBI releases all the information that shows that that's ridiculous. But I was troubled that there was some chatter in some of these trans chat rooms that Charlie was in danger when he came to this college and that something bad was going to happen.

Now, maybe that prediction happened every time he went to a college. That might be one explanation. But the notion of someone having it so much on the nose, that is worth a visit by federal investigators and other investigators, and someone should have to explain what led them to think that. As a prosecutor, I want my detectives and my investigators to do as much detail work as possible before I go to grand jury and certainly before I take it to trial. And you're right. There were some tweets and some other things, some posts that are floating around out there. I have screen grabs of them, where they say, you know, Charlie, something's going to be bad, it's going to happen for Charlie Kirk on September 10th. And these were the day before and saying Charlie Kirk dead at 31, things of that nature.

That's really disturbing stuff. And these were days and days in some cases before the event. So it really makes you wonder, what was going on there? Yeah, when somebody is controversial, and it's a sad state of affairs, when somebody who's speaking basic Christian faith tenets and basic American civics in a very civil way is controversial, but that's the time we're living in. When somebody is that controversial, other people come together and try to find a way to silence him. In this case, they thought they were going to silence the message, at least this shooter did, and others who were happy about it or maybe talking to

a shooter about it may well have been plotting. And if they did, then charges are appropriate. But as a prosecutor, I live in a world of proof. I don't want to make claims I can't prove. And that's what the investigation is for. Erica Kirk told the New York Times, despite the prosecution already saying, look, this is a death penalty case. We are pursuing the death penalty. She said she didn't want to be part of that decision. She didn't want to opine on that because she doesn't want to opine on that because she doesn't want that decision, the blood of that person on her hands. How much does somebody like Erica Kirk's, you know, wishes, factor in with a prosecutor? I mean, this is what she's saying,

but she's leaving it up to them, essentially. So as the prosecutor, you know, you know that the defense attorney is going to come back and say, you know, at this point, they're going to just, they're going to try to suppress all the evidence, of course, but they're going to try to save his life. that is going to be their end goal in a capital case. They're going to try to get the death penalty stricken. Do you just keep plowing forward with this, no deals whatsoever? Well, the notion of what families want was a big issue in the Idaho four murders, which you covered probably better than any reporter,

and you and I've discussed numerous times on this airway. And as a death penalty prosecutor, when I meet with families who've seen their loved one killed, I want them to say what they want to do, and I want to listen to that, but I always have to remind them that the charges are being brought by the state. Prosecutors don't represent individual people. Prosecutors represent everybody, and the prosecutors have to make the best decision for everybody. So I think it was wise beyond her years for Erica to defer that to prosecutors, because it is their decision, and although I want to hear what the victim's family says, I can't be bound

by it. Well, we will keep a close eye on it. We're looking forward to learning who's going to represent this guy, Tyler Robinson. Thank you so much, Mark Weaver, for your time. I appreciate it. Tyler Robinson remains in the Utah County Jail being held without bail, and he'll be back in court next week. During his first court appearance last week, he only spoke when asked to state his name and showed little, if any, emotion. Meanwhile, Turning Point USA's American Comeback Tour, it's continuing. Monday night, the tour is going to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities for a rally event at that college campus. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Janette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.