{"id":164669,"date":"2025-09-17T00:46:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T00:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/what-we-learned-from-charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-tyler-robinsons-text-messages-with-roommate-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T00:46:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T00:46:02","slug":"what-we-learned-from-charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-tyler-robinsons-text-messages-with-roommate-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/what-we-learned-from-charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-tyler-robinsons-text-messages-with-roommate-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"What we learned from Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson's text messages with roommate – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The day conservative activist Charlie Kirk<\/a> was gunned down while debating students on a Utah college campus, the man eventually charged with his murder sent his roommate a text message, officials said.
\u201cDrop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,\u201d Tyler James Robinson wrote, according to court papers filed Tuesday by Utah County Attorney Jeff Grey.
The roommate, whom Robinson referred to as \u201cmy love\u201d and whose name police have not released, did so and found a note.
\u201cI had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I\u2019m going to take it,\u201d the note allegedly said.
Follow live coverage here<\/strong><\/em><\/a>
While the manhunt for Kirk\u2019s killer was underway, Robinson\u2019s parents began to suspect that the photo of the shooter flashing on the news might be their son and that the murder weapon might be the rifle he received as a gift.
Officials said that as his parents grappled with those questions, Robinson continued to text his roommate, whom police described as \u201ca biological male who was involved in a romantic relationship\u201d with the suspect and transitioning to female.
\u201cMy dad wants photos of the rifle,\u201d Robinson wrote, according to the charging document. \u201cHes calling me rn, not answering.\u201d
Robinson told his roommate to \u201cdelete this exchange,\u201d officials allege.
The roommate didn\u2019t, and the thread became evidence that Grey used to charge Robinson with aggravated murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Kirk on Sept. 10 during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Robinson, 22, is also charged with felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and several other counts, and officials said they would seek the death penalty.
He told his roommate that he had been planning the attack for over a week and referred to the engravings on the bullets police recovered as a \u201cbig meme,\u201d the charging document alleges.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox previously said inscriptions were found on at least four bullets discovered after Kirk\u2019s assassination.
One engraving read, \u201cHey fascist! Catch! \u2191 \u2192 \u2193\u2193\u2193,\u201d a seeming reference, at least in part, to a video game that has been interpreted as a satire of fascism.
Kirk, 31, a popular but polarizing podcast host and conservative activist who had been one of President Donald Trump\u2019s most ardent supporters, was bantering with students when he was fatally shot from a rooftop about two football fields away.
Officials allege that Robinson had already discarded the clothes he had been wearing and hidden the rifle after the shooting when he texted his roommate.
The roommate at first didn\u2019t believe he was involved in Kirk\u2019s killing, according to the text exchanges in the charging document.
\u201cWhat?????????????? You\u2019re joking right????\u201d the roommate wrote back.
Robinson wasn\u2019t joking, the charging document alleges.
\u201cI had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age,\u201d he texted, according to the document. \u201cI am sorry to involve you.\u201d
But Robinson\u2019s roommate still didn\u2019t believe it, noting that authorities said they had a person in custody.
\u201cNo, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing,\u201d Robinson purportedly texted. \u201cI had planned to grab my rifle from the drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down.\u201d
Detectives later found a Mauser Model 98 bolt-action rifle in a wooded area near the university.
The roommate also asked Robinson the question many Americans had been asking since the shocking shooting: \u201cWhy?\u201d
\u201cI had enough of his hatred,\u201d Robinson texted back, according to the charging document. \u201cSome hate can\u2019t be negotiated out.\u201d
Robinson was raised in a conservative family, and his mother told investigators that over the previous year her son \u201chad started to lean more to the left \u2014 become more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,\u201d the court papers said.
Officials said that Robinson\u2019s parents didn\u2019t start suspecting their son was involved in Kirk\u2019s killing until the day after the shooting and that his mother “called her son and asked him where he was.\u201d
\u201cHe said he was home sick and that he had also been home sick on September 10th<\/sup>,\u201d the papers stated.
But neither she nor Robinson\u2019s dad believed him.
\u201cIn one conversation before the shooting, Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk would be holding an event at UVU, which Robinson said was a \u2018stupid venue,\u2019\u201d the papers said. \u201cRobinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.\u201d
Robinson allegedly texted his roommate that he and his dad were on different political pages, adding that \u201csince Trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard maga.\u201d
When Robinson\u2019s parents were finally able to reach him, he \u201cimplied that he planned to take his own life,\u201d the document stated.
Instead, \u201cRobinson\u2019s parents were able to convince him to meet at their home,\u201d it said.
Once he was there, \u201cRobinson implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn\u2019t go to jail and just wanted to end it,” officials said in the document.
\u201cWhen asked why he did it, Robinson explained there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate,\u201d the document stated. \u201cThey talked about Robinson turning himself in and convinced Robinson to speak with a family friend who is a retired deputy sheriff.\u201d
The family friend, who isn\u2019t identified, persuaded Robinson to give himself up to officials.
Later in the text thread, Robinson allegedly told his roommate, \u201cIm gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff.\u201d
Robinson allegedly told the roommate not to talk with the media and added, \u201cif any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent.\u201d
\u201cYou are all I worry about love,\u201d Robinson texted, the charging document stated.
Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she\/her.
Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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