Investigators received thousands of tips and interviewed hundreds of witnesses in the manhunt for the person who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on 10/9. However, the crucial break in the case seemingly came from the suspect's own mother.
"She was the first person to think that her son was the shooter and wanted by authorities," said Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray. The mother's name has not been released.
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Police outside the home of Tyler Robinson's family in Washington County, Utah, on 12/9. Photo: Reuters |
Police outside the home of Tyler Robinson's family in Washington County, Utah, on 12/9. Photo: Reuters
A day after the shooting, the mother saw a news report featuring security camera footage of the suspect fleeing the scene. While the image was blurry, she felt the slender, dark-clothed young man in Converse sneakers resembled her 22-year-old son, Tyler Robinson.
According to court documents filed on 16/9, Robinson's mother immediately called him, asking his whereabouts. Robinson claimed he was sick and had been in his apartment since the incident at Utah Valley University. However, her intuition told her something was amiss.
She then showed her husband the image, and he agreed the attacker looked like their son. They began calling Robinson more frequently, subtly probing for information.
Robinson grew up in St. George, a desert city about 400 km from Utah Valley University. His parents are Republicans, but Robinson's political views differed sharply from theirs.
His parents told investigators that Robinson had become more politically engaged in the past year, increasingly "supportive of LGBTQ+ rights." At the time of the shooting, he was in a relationship with a roommate who was transitioning from male to female, according to investigators.
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Image of the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination released by the FBI on 11/9. Photo: AFP |
Image of the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination released by the FBI on 11/9. Photo: AFP
Robinson's father also believed the rifle used in the shooting, which investigators found in a wooded area near campus, was a gift they had given their son. They texted Robinson, asking him to send a picture of the rifle. He didn't respond.
In a subsequent phone call with his father, Robinson hinted at suicide. His parents persuaded him to return to their home on a quiet suburban street in Washington County, Utah, near St. George.
They contacted a friend from their local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a former police officer, and together they began negotiating Robinson's surrender.
The retired officer quickly called Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby. Urgently, he reported he might know Kirk’s killer. “I could never have envisioned the words that came out of his mouth," Sheriff Brooksby said in a 16/9 interview.
The suspect fleeing after assassinating Charlie Kirk on 10/9. Video: FBI
Brooksby then called Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith. "I explained, 'The shooter is here, we're negotiating his surrender'," Brooksby recounted. "He said, 'Wait, wait, wait, what are you saying?' I repeated myself. He said, 'Hold on,' and put me on speakerphone.”
Robinson, fearing a SWAT team or being shot by police, agreed to surrender peacefully, Brooksby said. The retired officer drove Robinson and his parents to the sheriff's office in Hurricane, Utah, ending the 33-hour manhunt.
Robinson was taken to an interview room while investigators flew to southern Utah.
Sheriff Brooksby described Robinson as "quiet and somber," requesting a lawyer. "The pressure of the intense investigation had cornered him," he said. "He knew it was only a matter of time before he was caught."
Vu Hoang (According to AP, AFP, Reuters)
