The alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is in custody, former President Donald Trump announced in an interview with Fox News. “With a high degree of certainty, we have the suspected person” for the assassination, Trump stated. He added that he hopes the individual will receive the death penalty.
According to Trump, the suspect was convinced to turn himself in to authorities by his father, whom he described as “a man of faith.” The former President also indicated that the killing appears to be an “isolated episode, not part of a network.”
The suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah, as first reported by the New York Post and NBC News. Utah Governor Spencer Cox later confirmed the arrest in a press conference.
Citing a law enforcement official, The New York Times reported that Robinson was arrested last night in St. George, Utah, near Zion National Park, approximately 250 miles southwest of the campus where Kirk was killed.
Authorities revealed a significant detail in their press conference: the rifle cartridges used in the killing were inscribed with slogans. One set of bullets featured the lyrics “Bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,” a famous Italian anti-fascist folk song, while another was etched with the phrase “Hey fascist.”
Governor Cox provided background on the suspect, stating that a family member told investigators that Robinson had become “more political” in recent years. The relative recalled a recent incident before September 10th where Robinson mentioned that Charlie Kirk was scheduled to appear at Utah Valley University and spoke about why he “didn’t like him or the opinions he had.” Robinson allegedly told the family member that “Kirk was full of hate and spread hate.”