{"id":26900,"date":"2025-09-17T11:21:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T11:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/26900\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T11:21:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T11:21:07","slug":"prosecutor-lays-out-startling-details-including-texts-to-his-apparent-lover-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/26900\/","title":{"rendered":"prosecutor lays out startling details including texts to his apparent lover \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was, Utah county prosecutor Jeffrey Gray said as he opened his address to reporters, \u201can American tragedy\u201d.<\/p>\n

The simple statement gave little indication of the extraordinary 45-minute press conference that was to follow as the veteran attorney laid out in detail how the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk<\/a> was killed, and the text messages his alleged assassin sent in the aftermath of the murder.<\/p>\n

Tyler Robinson, Gray told the packed yet silent briefing room, had become consumed by hate for Kirk and his politics. By his own admission, Gray said, Robinson had planned the murder \u201cin a bit over a week\u201d once he knew Kirk would be attending a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem last Wednesday.<\/p>\n

He sent his roommate messages confessing to the crime, Gray added. <\/p>\n

\"UtahUtah County attorney general Jeff Gray at a press conference regarding Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Photograph: Chet Strange\/Getty <\/p>\n

Robinson said why he had done it and then begged the roommate, whom the prosecutor said had also become his lover, to stay silent and hire a lawyer if the police came calling.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0What is Discord? The gamer hangout where Charlie Kirk suspect joked about murderOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

It was, by any reasoning, a damning account, coming just hours before the first court appearance later on Tuesday of the 22-year-old Utah resident. <\/p>\n

Gray announced he was charging Robinson with aggravated murder, among other offences, and would seek the death penalty.<\/p>\n

In a pointed statement to indicate he had tuned out the furious rightwing backlash to the killing, and calls by Donald Trump and allies for \u201cvengeance and retribution\u201d for Kirk\u2019s death, Gray said he alone was responsible for deciding upon the charges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy. I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently,\u201d Gray said.<\/p>\n

Gray read details from a 10-page information document, including that a gun belonging to Robinson\u2019s grandfather was allegedly used in the killing, and that the relative wanted to know what had happened to it. <\/p>\n

The weapon was later found in a field close to the university wrapped in a towel.<\/p>\n

But it is the lengthy text message exchanges with the roommate, \u201ca biological male who was involved in a romantic relationship with Robinson\u201d, according to Gray, that give remarkable new insight into the alleged killer\u2019s motives and actions.<\/p>\n

\"TylerTyler Robinson was arrested in Utah. Photograph: Utah Governor\u2019s Office via AP <\/p>\n

Gray said the exchanges took place on September 10th, in the hours immediately following the shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe roommate received a text message from Robinson which said, \u2018Drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,\u2019\u201d Gray said. \u201cThe roommate looked under the keyboard and found a note that stated, \u2018I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I\u2019m going to take it\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter reading the note, the roommate responded, \u2018What? You\u2019re joking, right?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray said the roommate, whom he described as \u201ctransitioning genders\u201d, then received a message from Robinson, saying he was unable to leave the area of the incident because of police activity.<\/p>\n

The prosecutor said the next text stated: \u201c\u2018I am still ok my love, but am stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn\u2019t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray continued: \u201cRoommate: \u2018You weren\u2019t the one who did it right?\u2019 Robinson: \u2018I am, I\u2019m sorry.\u2019 Roommate: \u2018I thought they caught the person?\u2019 Robinson: \u2018No, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the briefing, Gray said investigators had spoken to Robinson\u2019s mother, who said her son had, over the past year, \u201cbecome more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights-oriented\u201d.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0America fails to find reconciliation tone in wake of Charlie Kirk shootingOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

He disclosed that the exchange with the roommate then began to explore a motive.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoommate: \u2018Why?\u2019 Robinson: \u2018Why did I do it?\u2019 Roommate: \u2018Yeah.\u201d\u2019 Robinson: \u2018I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can\u2019t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven\u2019t seen anything about them finding it,\u2019\u201d Gray said.<\/p>\n

The bolt-action rifle, it turned out, had already been found in nearby woodland, wrapped in a towel, and with three unspent rounds with engravings on their casings.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Facist! [sic] Catch!\u201d said one. \u201cO Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!\u201d said the second. \u201cIf you Read This, You Are GAY Lmao,\u201d the third said, according to the charging document.<\/p>\n

Robinson expressed in another message to his roommate that he was frightened of losing it, Gray said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried what my old man would do if I didn\u2019t bring back grandpa\u2019s rifle … how the fuck will I explain losing it to my old man,\u201d he wrote, according to Gray.<\/p>\n

\"TylerTyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, appears remotely via video, along with Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander, during a hearing before judge Tony Graf. Photograph: Scott G Winterton-Pool\/Getty <\/p>\n

Gray\u2019s account of Robinson\u2019s arrest on September 12th, two days after the shooting, appeared at odds with FBI director Kash Patel\u2019s insistence that he had been found by solid detective work.<\/p>\n

It was, the prosecutor revealed, Robinson\u2019s own mother who exposed him. In conversations with investigators, he said, she painted a picture of her son as an increasingly radicalised and isolated individual at odds with his family\u2019s conservative leanings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day after the shooting, Robinson\u2019s mother saw the photo of the shooter in the news and thought the shooter looked like her son,\u201d Gray said. \u201cRobinson\u2019s mother called her son and asked him where he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he was at home sick and that he had also been at home sick on September 10. Robinson\u2019s mother expressed concern to her husband that the suspected shooter looked like Robinson. Robinson\u2019s father agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRobinson\u2019s mother explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left \u2013 becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views.<\/p>\n

\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 for the event. Robinson accused Kirk of spreading hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of the text exchanges with the roommate, Gray claimed, were also incriminating. \u201cDelete this exchange,\u201d said one. In another, he said father wanted to see a photograph of the rifle, and had expressed support for Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince Trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard Maga [Make America Great Again],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Then he said he was \u201cgonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff\u201d.<\/p>\n

He signed off with concern for his roommate: \u201cYou are all I worry about love. Don\u2019t talk to the media please. Don\u2019t take any interviews or make any comments … if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray gave few more details as the press conference drew to a close. He stressed that everything he said were only accusations and recognised Kirk\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike all murders, the senseless and needless taking of Charlie Kirk\u2019s life has shattered the lives of those he loved and those who loved him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The suspect made an initial court appearance later on Tuesday. In that hearing, Judge Tony Graf confirmed there would be a waiver hearing on 29 September at 10am GMT via Webex. \u2013 The Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was, Utah county prosecutor Jeffrey Gray said as he opened his address to reporters, \u201can American tragedy\u201d.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26901,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[13477,969,93,61,60,282,115],"class_list":{"0":"post-26900","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-charlie-kirk","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-tv","14":"tag-united-states"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}