By Rounak Bagchi

Copyright timesnownews

ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman has come under fire after describing text messages between Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin and his transgender partner as “very touching” during coverage of a press conference announcing the murder charges. Prosecutors on Monday unveiled seven felony counts against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Investigators revealed that Robinson had exchanged a series of detailed messages with his partner about the murder weapon, with prosecutors describing them as both incriminating and intimate. Gutman, speaking on ABC’s livestream, highlighted the emotional tone of the texts. “It was very touching in a way that many of us didn’t expect,” he said. “A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate, who is transitioning, and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, ‘my love.’ And, ‘I want to protect you, my love.” He went on to call the press conference “riveting” and “heartbreaking on so many levels,” noting the duality of Robinson allegedly plotting Kirk’s murder while expressing affection for his partner. “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a press conference in which we’ve read text messages that are A, so fulsome, so robust, so apparently allegedly self-incriminating and yet, on the other hand, so touching,” Gutman said. But his remarks were swiftly condemned online, with critics accusing him of romanticising a brutal crime. Social media users described his framing as “disgusting” and “tone-deaf,” arguing that focusing on Robinson’s personal relationship distracted from the gravity of Kirk’s assassination. Robinson was arrested after a manhunt and remains in custody. Prosecutors say the texts form a key part of their case, showing both premeditation and efforts to destroy evidence. Gutman and ABC News have not yet commented publicly on the backlash. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.