Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Hear Tyler Robinson Charging Documents

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

Tyler Robinson faced a judge for the first time today as prosecutors levied a murder charge against him for shooting Charlie Kirk.   Listen as Crime Stories' Dave Mack reads the charging documents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Tyler Robinson went before a judge today for his first court hearing. Crime Stories, Dave Mack, reads the charging document. State of Utah, plaintiff versus Tyler James Robinson, 894 West Semeron Drive, Washington, Utah, 84780, date of birth, 416,000. 2003. The state of Utah by and through the Utah County Attorney's Office charges the defendant with the commission of the following offenses. Count one, aggravated murder. A capital felony in violation of Utah Code annotated in that on September 10th, 2025 in Utah County,

the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, intentionally or knowingly caused the death of Charlie Kirk under the following circumstances. The defendant knowingly created a great risk of death to another individual other than Charlie Kirk and the defendant. Notice, conviction of this offense may carry the death penalty or pursuant to Utah Code 76-3-207.7.7, a mandatory term of imprisonment for life without parole or an indeterminate term of not less than 25 years, and that may be for life. Victim targeting enhancement. In violation of Utah Code, annotated 76-3-203.3.5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5.5. Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Tyler James Robinson's belief

or perception regarding Charlie Kirk's political expression. Notice. If the trier of fact finds beyond reasonable doubt that the victim targeting enhancement applies, the sentencing judge or the Board of Pardons in parole shall consider the defendant's selection of the victim as an aggravating factor. Violent offense committed in the presence of a child, aggravating factor. The sentencing judge or the Board of Pardon and parole shall consider as an aggravating factor in their deliberations that the defendant committed a violent criminal offense in the presence of a child. Count two. Felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury. A first-degree felony in violation of Utah code annotated 76-11-210 and 3C. In that on September 10, 2025 in Utah

County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, discharged a firearm in the direction of Charlie Kirk knowing or having reason to believe that Charlie Kirk may be endangered by the discharge of the firearm and the act caused serious bodily injury to Charlie Kirk. Victim targeting enhancement. In violation of Utah Code annotated 76-3-203.14, Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Tyler James Robinson's belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk's political expression. Notice, if the trier of fact finds beyond reasonable doubt that the victim targeting enhancement applies in the sentencing judge or the Board of Pardons and parole

shall consider the defendant's selection of the victim as an aggravating factor. Violent offense committed in the presence of a child, aggravating factor. The sentencing judge or the boarden of pardons and parole shall consider as an aggravating factor in the their deliberations that the defendant committed a violent criminal offense in the presence of a child. Count three. Obstruction of Justice. A second-degree felony in violation of Utah Code annotated 76-8-306, and that on September 10, 2025 in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, with intent to hinder, delay, or prevent the investigation, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of any person regarding conduct that constitutes

criminal offense. C. Concealed or removed the firearm used to shoot Charlie Kirk and the conduct that constitutes an offense would be a capital felony or first-degree felony. Count four. Obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony in violation of Utah Code, annotated 76-8-306. In that honor about September 11, 2025 in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, with intent to hinder, delay, or prevent the investigation, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of any person regarding conduct that constitutes a criminal offense, C, destroyed, concealed, or removed the clothing he wore during the shooting, and the conduct that constitutes an offense would be a capital felony or first-degree felony. Count 5. Tampering with a witness. A third-degree felony in

violation of Utah code annotated 7-6-8-508. In that honor about September 10, 2025 in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, believed that an official proceeding or investigation was pending or about to be instituted or intended to prevent an official proceeding or investigation and attempted to induce or otherwise cause his roommate to withhold testimony, information, a document, or an item to wit, directing his roommate to delete and incriminating text messages. Count six. Tampering with a witness. A third-degree felony in violation of Utah Code annotated 7-6-8-508 and that honor about September 11, 2025 in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, believed that an official proceeding or

investigation was pending or about to be instituted or intended to prevent an official proceeding or investigation and attempted to induce or otherwise cause his roommate to withhold testimony or information to it, directing his roommate to stay silent if police questioned the roommate. Count 7. Violent offense committed in the presence of a child, a Class A misdemeanor in violation of Utah Code annotated 76-3-203.203 and 76-3-204. In that honor about September 10, 2025, in Utah County, the defendant, Tyler James Robinson, committed criminal homicide in the physical presence of a child younger than 14 years old with knowledge that a child was present

and may have seen or heard the commission of the criminal homicide. Victim targeting enhancement In violation of Utah Code annotated 76-3-203.14, Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of James Tyler Robinson's belief

or perception regarding Charlie Kirk's political expression. Probable Cost Statement Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, having probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the above-listed offense submitted the following evidence in support of the filing of this information. On September 10, 2025, at approximately 1223 p.m., Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to a large crowd on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Counts 1 and 2. Police found the suspected murder weapon, a bold action 30-odd-6 rifle nearby.

Over the next approximately 33 hours, police conducted a manhunt for the shooter until the evening of September 11, 2025, when Tyler James Robinson surrendered to police at the Washington County Sheriff's Office. B&A, consistent with Robinson, was found on the rifle's trigger. After shooting Mr. Kirk, Robinson hid the gun, discarded the clothing he wore when he fired the rifle, and told his lover slash roommate to delete incriminating text messages, and not. to talk to police. Children were present at the time of the shooting. The shooting. Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk, organized a public outdoor event to be held at noon on September 10, 2025 at UVU. The event was the first in a series of similar events to be held at college campuses nationwide. Mr. Kirk is a well-known conservative activist famous for these types of events where he discusses various political issues and debates

with audience members. His events and comments have garnered a significant number of supporters and drawn the ire of many who disagree with his political views. The event at UVU was announced far in advance and garnered significant publicity and interest. Consequently, several hundred people attended. Mr. Kirk was interacting with the crowd before the event officially got underway. Then, approximately at noon, Mr. Kirk seated himself under a portable canopy behind a table and microphone. He began speaking to the crowd and fielding questions from attendees, a format Mr. Kirk commonly used at his events. Mr. Kirk allowed his questioners to approach a microphone position directly in front of him. Mr. Kirk's team members were very close to him

on his right and left, as well as some behind his canopy and others at various close locations near him. The large crowd surrounded Mr. Kirk on three sides. Temporary metal fencing separated attendees for Mr. Kirk by only a matter of feet. Directly above and behind Mr. Kirk was the UVU Hall of Flags, an indoor walkway spanning several hundred feet with floor-to-ceiling glass windows which overlooked the plaza where Mr. Kirk was seated. People were in the walkway at the time of the shooting. Approximately 15 minutes into the event, Mr. Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings by transgender individuals when a gunshot rang out. The bullet struck Mr. Kirk in the neck.

He slumped to the ground almost immediately. The bullets trajectory passed closely to several other individuals beside Mr. Kirk, including the questioner who was standing directly in front of Mr. Kirk. Children were visible near Mr. Kirk's stage when he was shot. Mr. Kirk was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared deceased. The medical examiner's report is pending. The UVU surveillance investigation. At the moment of the shot, a UVU police officer was watching,

watching the crowd from an elevated vantage point. As soon as he heard the shot, he began to scan the area for threats. Believing the shot came from a rifle because of its sound, he looked for potential sniper positions. He noted a roof area, approximately 160 yards away from Mr. Kirk as a potential shooting position and rushed there to look for evidence. The suspected shooting position is adjacent to an open, publicly accessible walkway. To access the suspected location, a person must climb.

over a railing and then dropped to the roof only slightly below. The UVU officer climbed over the railing and down onto the roof. He then walked to the suspected shooting position and confirmed a clear shooting corridor between the position and Mr. Kirk's seat. He also noticed markings in the gravel rooftop consistent with a sniper having lain on the roof, impressions in the gravel potentially left by the elbows, knees, and feet of a person in a prone shooting position. Police reviewed surveillance from the camera covering the roof and discovered that it recorded an individual dressed in dark clothing crossed the railing from the public walkway and drop onto the roof at approximately 1215 p.m. Although the individual moved out of the camera's view for a short time, the camera again captured the individual running across the roof

and then low crawling to the area the UVU officer recognized as where the suspected sniper had dropped into a prone shooting position. After a short time, which matches the known time of the shot, the individual arose and ran across the roof to the northeast. The discovery led to an intense. review of UVU surveillance recordings to attempt to track and identify the suspect. Surveillance revealed the following. At approximately 11.51 a.m., the suspect entered campus from the north. He is seen wearing a black shirt with an American flag in its center, a dark

baseball calf, and large sunglasses. Throughout the surveillance, the suspect keeps his head down and rarely raises his head enough to get a clear image of his face. As he proceeds across campus, he is seen walking with an unusual gate. The suspect walks with very little bending in his right leg, consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants. This unusual gate continues until the suspect is seen crossing the railing off the open walkway and onto the roof where he leaves the camera's view. A camera later captures the suspect as he runs across the roof to the suspected shooting position. Immediately after the shot was fired, a camera captures the suspect running across the roof carrying an item whose shape is consistent with a rifle. The suspect is

then seen climbing down from the roof. He appears to drop the item he was carrying as he hits the ground in a controlled fall. He then picks up the item and runs toward the northeast end of the campus. Expanded crime scene investigation. Law enforcement officers followed the suspect's escape path to the northeast end of the campus where they believed the suspect left campus and entered a wooded area. In that wooded area, investigators found a bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel. The rifle contained one spent round and three unspent rounds. This is consistent with the facts officers observed at the time of and immediately after the shooting. No shell casings were found on the roof, suggesting a bolt action rather than an auto loading weapon and

only a single round was fired. Each round in the rifle contained an etched inscription as follows. Fired cartridge. No Tyses Bulge. O.W.O. What's this? Second cartridge. Hey, fascist.

Catch. Third cartridge. Oh, Bella Chow. Bella Chow. Bella Chow. Bela Chow. Fourth cartridge. If you read this, you are gay.

LMAO. The rifle ammunition rounds and towels were sent for forensic processing. DNA consistent with Robinson's was found on the trigger. Other parts of the rifle. The fired cartridge casing. Two of the three unfired cartridges and the towel. Law enforcement was unable to immediately locate the shooter. So they published photos of the shooter from the UVU surveillance cameras

and asked for the public's help to identify. him. Meanwhile, law enforcement continued to try to identify the shooter through other means. The Washington County investigation. On the evening of September 11, 2025, as law enforcement continued their investigation, Tyler James Robinson went to the Washington County Sheriff's Office with his parents and a family friend to turn himself in. Robinson's mother stated the following to police. On September 11, 2025, the day after the shooting, Robinson's mother saw the the photo of the shooter in the news and thought the shooter looked like her son. Robinson's mother called her son and asked him where he was.

He said he was at home sick and that he had also been at home sick on September 10th. Robinson's mother expressed concern to her husband that the suspected shooter looked like Robinson. Robinson's father agreed. Robinson's mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and it 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, quote, stupid venue for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.

Robinson's father reported that when his wife showed him the surveillance image of the suspected shooter in the news, he agreed that it looked like their son. He also believed that the rifle that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift. As a result, Robinson's father contacted his son and asked him to send a photo of the rifle. Robinson did not respond. However, Robinson's father spoke on the phone with Robinson. Robinson implied that he planned to take his own life. Robinson's parents were able to convince him to meet at their home.

As they discussed the situation, Robinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn't go to jail and just wanted to end it. When asked why he did it, Robinson explained, There is too much evil, and the guy, Charlie Kirk, spreads too much hate. They talked about Robinson turning himself in and convinced Robinson to speak with a family friend who was a retired deputy sheriff. At Robinson father's request, the family friend met with Robinson and his parents and convinced Robinson to turn himself in. The family friend spoke to police and reported telling Robinson that it would be best if he brought all evidence with him to the sheriff's office to avoid police having to search his parents home.

The family friend also asked Robinson if he had any clothes that were related to what he did. Robinson replied that he had disposed of his clothes in different areas. The roommate. Police interviewed Robinson's roommate, a biological male, who was involved in a romantic relationship with Robinson. The roommate told police that the roommate received messages from Robinson about the shooting and provided those messages to police. On September 10, 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, unquote. Police found a photograph of this note. The following text exchange then took place. After reading the note, the roommate responded, quote, What? Question mark. You're joking, right? Robinson. I am still okay, my love, but am stuck in Orham 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'm sorry to involve you. The roommate writes, You weren't the one who did it, right? Robinson.

I am. I'm sorry. Roommate. I thought they caught the person. Robinson. Nope. They grabbed some crazy old dude then interrogated someone in similar clothing.

I had planned to grab. 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. Roommate. 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'm able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they've moved on. I haven't seen anything about them finding it. Roommate.

How long have you been planning this? Robinson. A bit over a week, I believe. I can get close to it, but there's a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don't want to chance it. Robinson. I'm wishing I had a 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.

If it had a serial number, but it wouldn't. traced 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 blank will I explain losing it to my old man? Only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel. Remember how I was engraving bullets? The blanking messages are mostly a big meme. If I see, quote, notices bulge UW, unquote, 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 $2,000 scope. Robinson writes, delete this exchange. Robinson again writes, 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 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 or for sheriff robinson you are all i worry about love 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 the search of robinson's residence police executed a search warrant on robinson's residence During that search, police discovered a shell casing with etchings like the etchings found on the shells and the rifle near UVU. Police also found several targets with bullet holes in Robinson's home.

Count 1. Aggravated murder pertains to Robinson's shooting and killing of Charlie Kirk in a manner that exposed others in addition to Mr. Kirk to a great risk of death. Count two. Felony, discharge of a firearm pertains to Robinson's shooting toward Mr. Kirk, knowing that doing so would endanger those in the bulletin. its path. The shot caused serious bodily injury to Mr. Kirk, ultimately, resulting in his death. Count three, obstructing justice pertains to Robinson's removal and hiding of the rifle he used to shoot Mr. Kirk. Count four, obstructing justice pertains to Robinson's removal and hiding of the clothing he wore when he shot Mr. Kirk. Count five. Witness tampering pertains to Robinson's statements to his roommate, telling his roommate to delete their text exchange that

followed the shooting. Count six, witness tampering pertains to Robinson's statement to his roommate, telling the roommate, quote, if any police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and stay silent, unquote. Count seven, violence, offense committed in the presence of a child pertains to Robinson's shooting of Mr. Kirk and the presence of children under the age of 14 who are visible at the event. Based upon evidence received from Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, I have reason to believe the defendant committed the offenses charged herein. Authorized for presentment and filing on September 16, 2025, Utah County Attorney's Office, sworn to by Jeffrey S. Gray, Utah County Attorney.

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