By Jack Phillips
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the suspected assassin of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk left behind a note, and confirmed reports that the suspect held left-wing political views.
“Clearly a leftist ideology,” Cox told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Cox said the information obtained about the viewpoints of suspect Tyler Robinson “comes from the people around him, his family members and friends.”
Cox also confirmed that the suspect may have left behind a note but said that those “are things that are still being processed for accuracy and verification and will be included in charging documents.”
The governor said the suspect’s partner is transgender, which some officials have pointed to as a sign that Robinson was targeting Kirk for his political views. Authorities have not publicly said whether it is relevant as they investigate Robinson’s motive.
Cox told CNN that Robinson’s roommate and “romantic partner” is “a male transitioning to female.”
“I can say that he has been incredibly cooperative, this partner has been very cooperative, had no idea that this was happening,” he said, referring to the roommate.
Cox also told NBC News that Robinson, 22, became more radical after he dropped out of Utah State University.
“It seemed to happen kind of after that—after he moved back to the southern part of Utah,” he told NBC News. “Clearly, there was a lot of gaming going on, friends that have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep. You saw that on the casings … the memeification that is happening in our society today.”
Robinson, Cox told NBC, is not cooperating with authorities. However, they have obtained information from friends, acquaintances, and family members.
Last week, Cox said in a news conference that the suspect had engraved messages on bullets, including anti-fascist messages and one that appeared to make a trolling reference to the “furry” subculture. One message also appeared to be a reference to a move used in the “Helldivers 2” video game.
One of the bullets read, “Catch this, fascists.” Another included lyrics that appeared to make reference to an Italian song that was popularized during World War II in Italy that has since been used by some modern left-wing or progressive groups.
The governor said more information may come out once the suspect appears in court on Sept. 16.
Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts. Online activity by Robinson’s mother reflects an active family that took vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Alaska.
A high school honor roll student who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, Robinson was admitted to Utah State University in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter that was posted to a family member’s social media account.
But he attended for only one semester, according to the university. He is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George, Utah.
Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 as he was holding an event with his Turning Point USA group at Utah Valley University. Cox announced Robinson’s arrest about 36 hours later, on Sept. 12.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
