AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Prosecutors in Utah have formally charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder. That's in the shooting death of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. They will pursue the death penalty. They also revealed new information about Robinson's roommate and communications between the two immediately after the shooting. Martha Harris from member station KUER was at the press conference that prosecutors gave in Provo, Utah, and joins us now. Hi, Martha.
MARTHA HARRIS, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, so tell us more about what prosecutors were saying today as they announced these charges.
HARRIS: Yeah, so they announced that they're filing six felony charges and one misdemeanor against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, including aggravated murder. Here's Utah County attorney Jeff Gray.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JEFF GRAY: Following the press conference, I am filing a notice of intent to seek the death penalty. I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently.
HARRIS: Other felony charges include discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
CHANG: Right. And with respect to witness tampering, I understand that that charge - it's for Robinson allegedly asking his roommate to delete messages that they shared about the shooting and Robinson telling his roommate to stay silent, yeah? What kind of details did prosecutors give about those texts?
HARRIS: Yeah. So county attorney Gray read a string of texts between Robinson and his roommate, who he did not name. Gray said the roommate is a, quote, "biological male transitioning to female," and said the two were in a romantic relationship. Gray said Robinson, when asked by the roommate why he did it, said that Robinson allegedly wrote about Charlie Kirk, quote, "I have (ph) enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out." Gray said the text messages indicated he'd been planning the attack for a bit over a week.
CHANG: And what about the gun that was used to kill Charlie Kirk? Did we learn anything new there?
HARRIS: Yeah, so Jeff Gray said that Robinson was the owner of the gun, which he said was a gift. He also said that in the alleged text message exchange between Robinson and his roommate, Robinson said he had left the gun wrapped in a towel under a bush and he was hoping to recover it before leaving town. Robinson said the gun had belonged to his grandfather. Gray said Robinson's DNA was found on the trigger of the rifle. Gray also said that when police executed a search warrant at Robinson's home, they found a bullet casing with etchings similar to the ones found on unused bullet casings in the rifle. Those etchings include statements that appear to be anti-fascist messages. But, you know, it's still unclear at this point what exactly they mean.
CHANG: So I understand that Tyler Robinson has just had his first appearance in court, right? What happened during that appearance?
HARRIS: Yeah. So it was a very brief hearing. Robinson appeared virtually from the Utah County jail near Provo, here. Its where he's being held without bail. He was wearing a dark garment that appeared to be a suicide-prevention vest. Robinson was told what charges he's facing. He did not enter a plea, and he was not asked to as today's hearing was to advise him of charges. He nodded as Utah County Judge Tony Graf talked to him, but he didn't show very much emotion on his face. The only time he spoke was when he said his name at the judge's request. The judge said Robinson will be appointed a defense attorney because he cannot afford one. The judge also signed a protective order for Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk. That means that Robinson cannot contact her. The judge set the next court hearing for September 29 here in Utah County.
CHANG: That is Martha Harris from KUER in Provo, Utah. Thank you very much, Martha.
HARRIS: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
