Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with seven offences over the murder of Charlie Kirk. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray outlined a long list of allegations and evidence that will be used in the case, and says he will seek the death penalty.
Here’s what we know:
The charges: aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and committing a violent crime when children are present.
Text messages: Gray read out texts between Robinson and his roommate, a transgender male with whom Robinson was in a romantic relationship. The messages Robinson sent allegedly say he shot Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred”. The messages also detail his attempts to recover the rifle he hid, and instruct the roommate to delete the exchange.
A hidden note: Robinson allegedly left a note under his keyboard for his roommate, saying “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it”.
The sniper nest: A university officer searched the rooftops after hearing a gunshot and found marks in the gravel suggesting a sniper had been camped, with a direct line of sight to where Kirk was shot.
The video: Robinson’s mother saw a video of a suspect and told her husband it looked like their son. The father then confronted Robinson. Gray said video also showed the suspect walking with a stiff leg at the university, suggesting a rifle was hidden in his trousers.
The gun: Gray says the weapon used was unique and had been given to Robinson. It once belonged to his grandfather. Robinson’s father asked to see a photo of the gun when he became suspicious, but Robinson did not send one.
The charges include aggravated murder – we’ll have more detail in our next post.
Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, is now speaking.
Coming back to Kirk, she talks about rising political violence in the US. She also cites the June assassination of Democrat Minnesota representative Melissa Hortman and her husband.
She also mentioned the recent shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where two children were killed.
Wrapping up, she directs a question to Patel about gun violence, and if he would support a federal ban on assault weapons.
The FBI director says he wont weigh in on the creation of legislation.