Text messages have led investigators to believe they know who shot Charlie Kirk.
Authorities said that Tyler Robinson and his 22-year-old roommate, Lance Twiggs, were able to find the person they think shot and killed political activist Charlie Kirk because they could chat to each other online.
Help with finding an apartment and a roommate.
Senior FBI authorities said that Robinson lived in St. George, Utah, with a transgender woman as his girlfriend. The partner is cooperating with the police, and they are not being charged with anything right now, according to investigators. Agents got text messages and other messages between Robinson and the partner. These texts helped agents find Robinson. The electronics that were taken out of the flat were sent to Quantico to be tested.
There is also a record of a 22-year-old man named Lance Twiggs living at the same home in St. George. A family member told The Post that Twiggs and the other person lived together and that Twiggs was the “black sheep” of the family. They didn’t mention if the two were dating or talk about Twiggs’ politics or how his transition was going.
Someone in the family said, “Yes, they lived together.”
Neighbors told reporters that the townhouse, which costs $1,800 a month, looked unoccupied on Saturday. They also said that two weeks prior, they had seen cars with plates from different states come to the spot.
How to Use Rifles and Disguises in Court Papers
Brian Davis, an investigator with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, said in an affidavit that Twiggs gave them text messages that Robinson supposedly sent before the event. The messages talked on how to get a rifle from a drop point, how to engrave bullets, and how to put a scope on the gun. They also indicated that the gun was one of a kind. The texts also talked about changing clothes, which could mean that they were trying to hide from people.
Robinson’s grandma didn’t believe what the agents stated. She said they had the wrong kid and that she had never seen him show an interest in guns.
“To be honest, I don’t think he ever shot a gun,” she remarked. He doesn’t hunt because he doesn’t like things like that. I know he doesn’t have any guns. But he couldn’t have been a very good shot.
Detention Without Bail and Evidence Found
Robinson, who is 22, is in jail in Utah County and can’t get out. It was fine with Judge Shawn Rice Howell that Robinson stayed in jail. Court records show that Robinson has never been found guilty of a crime, either a misdemeanor or a felony. He is in jail because he is accused of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstructing justice. There haven’t been any official charges yet, though.
Robert Bohls, the head of the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge, claimed that investigators found a powerful bolt-action rifle in the woods close to where the suspect was flying. The FBI Lab will look at the pistol. They also took images of hands, shoes, and forearms to look into.
Internet Culture and Carvings on Bullets
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said that the bullets found near the rifle bore had slogans on them. People who know a lot about this kind of thing said that the writing on the walls may be about memes, video games, and jokes that people make online.
“Memes contain multitudes,” said Jamie Cohen, a professor at Queens College who studies digital culture. He noted that comments like this “might not mean much on their own” without more information.
Officials reported that the words included “Hey, fascist!” and “Catch!” as well as “Bella Ciao” and an internet meme from the furry subculture called “Notices bulges.” They also featured controller inputs for “Helldivers 2.” What is this? Officials indicated that the investigation is still going on and that they still don’t know what the reason was.
Cohen also noted that meme-based communication can work for groups of people and, in some cases, it can have a number of different meanings and get more attention when it goes public.
The family’s part in giving up
Two federal law enforcement sources told CBS News that Robinson’s father confronted him after seeing pictures of him in public. People believe Robinson admitted to being the guy in the picture and killing Kirk. People believe Robinson said he would rather kill himself than give up when he was told to. A youth pastor who also works as a court security officer helped calm things down and called the U.S. Marshals Service. The FBI’s head, Kash Patel, stated that the agency arrested Robinson late on Thursday night.
Looking at Possible Punishments
CNN spoke with Derek Brown, Utah’s Attorney General, who said that prosecutors haven’t made up their minds yet about whether or not to ask for the death sentence. “Everything is on the table,” he said. A lot of people in the US have been discussing about the issue, and both former President Donald Trump and Governor Cox have declared they support the death penalty.
At the same time, it seems that a social media account that some people think belongs to Robinson’s mother, Amber Jones Robinson, has been deleted. The officials haven’t said why.