Charlie Kirk suspect expected to face charges ahead of first court hearing

Prosecutors are preparing to file a capital murder charge on Tuesday against the Utah man who authorities say held a “leftist ideology” and may have been “radicalised” online before he was arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson are expected to come ahead of the first court hearing since he was accused last week of shooting Mr Kirk, a conservative activist credited with energising the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.

Investigators have been piecing together evidence, including a rifle and ammunition engraved with anti-fascist and meme culture messaging, found after the shooting on Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Mr Kirk, who co-founded of the Arizona-based conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA, was speaking at the university on one of his many campus debating visits.

Prosecutors in Utah County are considering several charges against Robinson, the most serious being aggravated murder because it could bring the death penalty if there is a conviction.

Once charges are filed, Robinson is scheduled to appear on camera for a virtual court hearing at 3pm local time (10pm UK time). He has been held without bail since his arrest, and it remained unclear whether he has a lawyer.

While authorities say Robinson has not been co-operating with investigators, they do say his family and friends have been talking.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said over the weekend that those who know Robinson say his politics shifted left in recent years and he spent a lot of time in the “dark corners of the internet”.

FBI director Kash Patel said on Monday on the Fox News Channel show Fox & Friends that DNA evidence has linked Robinson to a towel wrapped around a rifle found near the Utah Valley campus and a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired.

Before the shooting, Robinson wrote in a note that he had an opportunity to take out Kirk and was going to do it, according to Mr Patel, who separately addressed the Kirk investigation at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday in Washington.

The FBI also is looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson, Mr Patel said during the committee hearing. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said.

“We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Mr Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.

Investigators are working on finding a motive for the attack, Utah’s governor said on Sunday, adding that more information may come out once Robinson appears for his initial court hearing.

Mr Cox said Robinson’s romantic partner was transgender, which some politicians have pointed to as a sign the suspect was targeting Mr Kirk for his anti-transgender views. But authorities have not said whether that played a role.

Mr Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.

Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said on Monday that Robinson’s partner has been co-operative. He said investigators believe Robinson acted alone during the shooting, but they also are looking at whether anyone knew of his plans beforehand.

In the days since Mr Kirk’s killing, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence.

Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Mr Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticised him after his death.

Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonoured him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.