By Danya Gainor, CNN
(CNN) — Prosecutors charged Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing prominent conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, with aggravated murder on Tuesday and announced they would seek the death penalty.
Kirk’s assassination six days ago at an event at Utah Valley University sent shockwaves across the country and is the latest incident of violence tearing through American politics.
Utah County prosecutors charged Robinson through an information document rather than an indictment. An information court document allows prosecutors to charge someone directly and requires a probable cause hearing, during which a judge determines if there is sufficient evidence to proceed.
The charging document for the 22-year-old suspect outlines evidence collected by investigators, including DNA on the suspected murder weapon and a texted confession.
Here are the key takeaways from the charging document.
Hints at a possible motive
The charging document says Robinson “intentionally” targeted Kirk because of Robinson’s “belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.” While prosecutors stopped short of specifically detailing what issues motivated Robinson to carry out the September 10 shooting, the charging document provided some clues.
In separate conversations with his roommate and family, Robinson shared that Kirk “spreads too much hate,” and he “had enough of his hatred,” the document said.
Aggravated murder, witness tampering and other charges
In addition to aggravated murder, prosecutors outlined six other charges against Robinson.
He faces two charges of obstruction of justice after concealing or removing “the firearm used to shoot Charlie Kirk,” and after he allegedly “destroyed, concealed, or removed the clothing he wore during the shooting,” according to the document.
Robinson also faces one count of felony discharge of a firearm and one count commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Prosecutors presented two charges of witness tampering for directing his roommate to delete “incriminating” text messages and to stay silent if questioned by police, the court filing states.
Texts and note allegedly left for roommate
On the day of the shooting, Robinson texted his unidentified roommate to “drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” according to the charging document. The roommate discovered a note there that read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
“What??????????????” The roommate responded, according to the filing. “You’re joking, right????”
Robinson apologized for involving the roommate after saying he “hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age,” the filing said.
When his roommate asked why he shot Kirk, the charging document says Robinson replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” He told his roommate he had been planning the attack for over a week, according to the charging document.
Robinson had also texted that he planned to retrieve the rifle he left wrapped in a towel from a “drop point,” and he was “worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpas rifle,” according to the charging document.
Later, Robinson texted the roommate, instructing them to “delete this exchange,” before saying he planned to turn himself in “willingly,“ the document said.
“Don’t take any interviews or make any comments,” Robinson wrote to the roommate, according to the charging document. “If any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent.”
The escape from the roof at UVU
A university police officer began searching for potential shooting positions just after the shot rang out, the charging document said, leading him adjacent to a public walkway on a “roof area” – roughly 160 years from where Kirk was seated for the event – that had markings “consistent with a sniper having lain.”
Police spotted an individual on surveillance video in dark clothes crossing the public walkway, dropping onto the roof around 12:15 p.m., according to the charging document. The individual moves out of view of the camera but was captured shortly after running across the roof, then crawling into a “prone shooting position” where the officer encountered the markings, the filing says.
Following the fired shot, the charging document said, video shows the individual getting up and running across the roof carrying an item consistent in shape to a rifle. The person climbs down from the roof, dropping the item as they hit the ground, before picking it back up to run to the northeast end of campus and into a wooded area. There, investigators discovered the towel-wrapped rifle.
Police determined that the suspect had entered the university campus from the north around 11:51 a.m. that day, walking with an “unusual gait” in his right leg “consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants,” the filing says.
DNA consistent with Robinson found on suspected murder weapon, ammo, filing says
In the “wooded area” off UVU’s campus, investigators located a bolt-action rifle containing “one spent round and three unspent rounds,” and the weapon was wrapped in a towel, the charging document says. The type of rifle and rounds fired were consistent with “the facts officers observed at the time of, and immediately after the shooting.”
The towel, rifle and ammunition were then sent for forensic processing, the document said.
“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,” according to the charging document.
Robinson said writing on bullet casings were ‘mostly a big meme,’ filing says
Each round inside the rifle had unique messages engraved on the bullet casings, which Robinson said were “mostly a big meme,” in texts to his roommate, the charging document says.
“Remember how I was engraving bullets?” the document says Robinson asked his roommate on the day of the shooting, according to the filing. “The f**kin messages are mostly a big meme.”
The phrase “NoTices Bulge OWO What’s This?” was engraved on the fired bullet, the filing says. Robinson wrote to his roommate, “If I see “notices bulge uwu” on fox news I might have a stroke,” according to the charging document.
“UwU” typically denotes an affectionate emoticon over text.
Earlier in the investigation, authorities pointed to what they described as anti-fascist messages engraved on some of the bullet casings as potential evidence of a political motive.
One bullet was inscribed with “Hey fascist! Catch!” – according to the filing – a message that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday “speaks for itself.”
Robinson’s mother told police that in the last year or so, “Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left,” according to the filing.
But other messages on the bullet casings included a mix of memes and allusions to video games, according to the filing, suggesting a deep immersion in an irony-soaked online world where meanings can be difficult to precisely decipher.
After parents recognized Robinson’s photo, family friend helped convince him to surrender
Approximately 33 hours after the shooting, Robinson turned himself into the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with his parents and a family friend, the charging document said.
Earlier in the day, Robinson’s mom believed she recognized their son in a surveillance photo of the suspect in the news, according to the document. Robinson’s father agreed and told authorities that the police description of the suspected murder weapon “matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift,” according to the filing.
Robinson’s father texted his son, asking for a picture of the rifle, according to the charging document. When he didn’t respond, his father spoke to Robinson on the phone.
“Robinson implied that he planned to take his own life,” the filing said of their conversation. “Robinson’s parents were able to convince him to meet at their home.”
Robinson “implied that he was the shooter” to his parents, according to the charging document, telling them, “There is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate.”
The family discussed Robinson turning himself in, and his parents “convinced” him to speak with their friend, a retired deputy sheriff, according to the filing. “The family friend met with Robinson and his parents and convinced Robinson to turn himself in.”
The family friend told police he encouraged Robinson to bring evidence with him when he surrendered to avoid a police search of his parent’s home, and said Robinson told him he had disposed of the clothes he wore during the attack, the charging document says.