Tyler Robinson made his first court appearance Tuesday evening on charges that he allegedly killed Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Robinson, 22, appeared emotionless as Judge Tony Graf read his charges at his arraignment in Provo, Utah. Robinson appeared virtually from Utah County Jail. He is charged with several crimes:
• Aggravated murder
• Felony discharge of a firearm
• Two counts of obstruction of justice
• Two counts of witness tampering
• Commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child (a misdemeanor committing the murder in front of children)
Utah prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against him.
Robinson’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 29.
Meanwhile, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray earlier in the day said Robinson’s mother told prosecutors that her son became more political and “started to lean more to the left” over the past year.
“Robinson’s mother explained that, over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left, becoming more pro-gay and trans rights-oriented,” Gray said at a news conference in which he laid out the charges and some details about the suspect.
Robinson’s political ideology has become a flashpoint among the right and the left. The right alleges he is a liberal or became “radicalized” as a liberal, blaming the left for Kirk’s murder. Some of the left, meanwhile, have cast doubt on that claim. They allege the Robinson family’s history of conservatism, and his engraved messages on the casings on the rifle he allegedly used to kill Kirk, are proof he is actually conservative.
