Suspected Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson, 22, allegedly confessed in a Discord chat just hours before he was taken into custody on Thursday, ending a 33-hour manhunt.
A member of the roughly 30 person Discord chat shared screenshots of Robinson’s messages with the
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all,” said a message from an account belonging to Robinson. “It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this.”
“im surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments,” the message, posted at 7:57 p.m. local time in Utah, continued. “thanks for all the good times and laughs, you’ve all been so amazing, thank you all for everything.”
Prior to Robinson’s message, members of the chat posted their reactions upon the news of Kirk being shot at Utah Valley University’s campus.
“Charlie Kirk got shot,” one friend wrote Wednesday afternoon.
“I just saw the video holy s—,” another user wrote about an hour and a half later. “Bro didn’t deserve to go out like that sad.”
Robinson was silent. His only activity in the chat following Kirk’s assassination was when he confessed that he was responsible for it.
When Robinson confessed in the Discord, no one responded until the next day when a friend asked the group to “pray for Tyler and his repentance.” He then asked for prayers for Kirk.
“While Charlie Kirk’s politics were not acceptable to some I ask that we all say a prayer for him and his family during these confusing times,” the friend wrote.
In a separate Discord chat that Robinson was apart of, members posted the FBI’s photos of the person of interest , suggesting that it was Robinson, the
Robinson joked that it was “doppelganger” who was trying to “get me in trouble.”
“Tyler killed Charlie!!!!” another user wrote.
Discord told the Washington Post that its own investigation concluded that there is “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.” The popular social media platform is working closely with law enforcement, having provided the copy of Robinson’s message confessing to the assassination to authorities.
The FBI has combed through Robinson’s online presence and communications and interviewed his friends and family revealing that Robinson was aligned with left leaning ideology. He is in a romantic relationship with a man who identifies as a transgender woman, who he lives with.
According to FBI Director Kash Patel Robinson shared in a text exchange that he had the “opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do it because of his hatred of what Charlie stood for.”
Formal charges against Robinson are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
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