As expected, Tyler Robinson did not say much. After the fatal shot on the right US activist Charlie Kirk, the alleged perpetrator first appeared in court on Tuesday – and was silent, apart from the mention of his name. The short summons took place by video count and was – by no means unusual in the United States – broadcast live by numerous television channels.
The 22-year-old is in custody in the state of Utah, where the crime had occurred last Wednesday. Judge Tony Graf informed him about his rights and said that he would remain in custody without possibility. Afterwards, Graf read the seven charges that the responsible prosecutor Jeff Gray had recently presented at a press conference.
In addition to murder, Robinson are charged, among other things, disability of the judiciary, the influence of witnesses and an act of violence in the presence of children. To make matters worse, he probably acted out of political motives, said Gray. The prosecutor also referred to a number of evidence that Robinson – including text messages, DNA traces on the alleged weapon and evaluations of surveillance videos.
In the event of a conviction for murder, Robinson threatens the death penalty. The procedure in Utah could follow an indictment at the federal level.
What is known for the motif
“I had the chance to switch off Charlie Kirk and I will use it.” According to the authorities, Robinson is said to have left this note under his keyboard. She was discovered by the person with whom Robinson lived and led a love relationship.
According to Gray, Robinson’s mother said that the person was a transperson – that is, someone who does not identify with the gender attributed to the birth. However, the prosecutor did not go into more detail and only said that the person was attributed to the male gender at birth. When asked by a reporter by the conservative US broadcaster Fox News, whether transgender topics had played a role in the act, Gray did not reveal any further details.
According to the investigation, the investigator was found to have a written exchange in which Robinson granted the crime to the person with which he lived. Among other things, he explained that he had “enough of this hatred”. He also asked to delete stressful messages and to remain silent about the police and the media. “I had hoped to be able to keep this secret to me until my death in old age,” Robinson wrote.
What a role the family played
Gray continued that Robinson’s mother saw photos of the alleged shooter in the news after the act and told her husband to see her son similarly. According to her, he was increasingly committed to the rights of homosexuals and transpersons last year – views that were probably in contrast to those of his father.
Robinson is said to have written in a text message He also indicated that he was the shooter. His parents and a friend of the family finally convinced him to face the police.
What happened on the day of the day – and what afterwards
Last Wednesday, Kirk was shot at an event on the campus of a university in Utah. On online videos the shot was heard and see how the 31-year-old was hit. The primarily young visitors threw themselves to the ground, screamed, ran away. Kirk died in the hospital a little later.
His death unfolds enormous political strips in the United States. Kirk founded the youth organization Turning Point USA in 2012, which is now active at numerous schools and universities, and became a formative voice of the US rights. He reached an audience of millions through his platforms, especially young men. Kirk profiled himself as an advocate of freedom of expression and as a loud opponent of a “Woken ideology” he described. Again and again he made headlines with provocative theses that convicted critics as racist and sexist.
As a prominent representative of the Maga movement, he helped Trump to secure the support of young voters. He was considered a close confidante of Vice President JD Vance and Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. – his death immediately shaken the political leadership of the United States.
What the deed means for the United States
The assassination attempt is a series of politically motivated acts of violence in the United States. A few months ago, a democratic politician and her husband were shot in the state of Minnesota. Trump was also shot on Trump last year. Authorities and experts have long warned of increasing radicalization in parts of the US society.
The Trump government, however, is almost exclusively as a phenomenon of the “radical left” and rejects that it is a problem of both camps. There are also appeasing voices in the Republican Party. But Trump and his closest environment have used the enormous reach of Kirk’s platforms not only for the activist’s appreciation, but also specifically to place political messages.
Observer warn that the assassination attempt becomes a lever to justify an increasingly authoritarian style of government. Kirk is raised to martyr with religious language. At the same time, the responsibility for his death is neither sought by a single offender, nor recognized as a result of socialization from left and right. Instead, only a vague defined opposite side is blamed.
How things are going on
For example, Vice President Vance announced on Monday in a special edition of the “Charlie Kirk Show” recorded in the White House to want to act against a “network of non -governmental organizations”, which he blamed – without evidence – was responsible for violence. Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller even spoke of a “domestic terrorist movement”.
Upon request, prosecutor Gray in Utah said that there is currently no evidence of other suspects. The next hearing from Robinson is scheduled for September 29.
