Text Message From Charlie Kirk’s Suspected Assassin Could Unveil Motive, Patel Says

FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sept. 15 that investigators have obtained evidence from digital footprints and witness interviews suggesting the suspected gunman in Charlie Kirk’s assassination had expressed an intention to kill the conservative commentator.

In an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Patel said that law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices—including laptops, gaming systems, and cellphones—from suspect Tyler Robinson’s home and his romantic partner’s residence during the investigation.

“We are going to be interviewing scores of people, on not just these chats on Discord, but any communications that this individual had,” the FBI director said.

Patel said that law enforcement collected information through witness interviews where the suspect had “essentially admitted after the shooting and assassination of Charlie Kirk.”

The evidence included a text message exchange in which Robinson allegedly expressed his intention to kill Kirk, according to the FBI director.

“I will say what was found in terms of information [was] a text message exchange where he, the suspect, specifically stated that he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do that,” he said. “And when he was asked why, he said some hatred cannot be negotiated with.”

Kirk, a conservative commentator who co-founded Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University. Authorities have identified and arrested Robinson, 22, as the suspected gunman.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the suspect will be indicted “most likely tomorrow or this week” on first-degree murder charges, adding that she expects prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.

“It’s too soon right now, legally to say, but I think the governor has said that they want to seek the death penalty, which is very real in Utah, and they still have the firing squad in Utah,” she told Fox News on Sept. 15.

Bondi added that federal prosecutors would also look into whether federal charges could be brought against Robinson.

It remains unclear whether Robinson has an attorney. A spokesperson for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office told The Epoch Times that Robinson was moved to a “special watch” area of the county jail until he is cleared by mental health staff, which the spokesperson said “may take several days.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Sept. 14 that Robinson has not confessed to carrying out the crime and is not cooperating with the investigation.

Cox indicated to NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that people around Robinson are cooperating with law enforcement, including Robinson’s roommate and “romantic partner,” who Cox described as an individual “transitioning from male to female.”

“Clearly there was a lot of gaming going on,” Cox said. “Friends have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino told Fox News on Sept. 15 that the investigation is ongoing and the agency is looking into other possible accomplices in the assassination.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.