Accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson threatened to kill himself rather than surrender to authorities after his father confronted him about the sickening murder, according to law enforcement sources.
The father, Matt Robinson, recognized his 22-year-old son from photos of the suspected shooter that were released by authorities Thursday, leading the parent to confront his son when he returned home, sources said.
Robinson ‘fessed up to the horrific shooting at Utah Valley University when his dad asked if he pulled the trigger — but originally refused to turn himself in to law enforcement, according to sources.
He told his father he’d rather kill himself, leading the parent to convince his son to speak with their youth minister, who also works with the US Marshals Service fugitive task force, sources said.
The minister then called a deputy with the federal agency, and the FBI took Robinson into custody Thursday evening, sources said.
Stay up to date on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
“I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing in this case and were able to bring him into law enforcement,” Cox said.
Robinson, a former student at Utah Valley, has been arrested on aggravated murder charges. It’s believed he acted alone.
During authorities’ hunt for Robinson, investigators spoke to his roommate and saw a trove of Discord messages from a contact named “Tyler” to him about the shooting.
Some messages told the roommate about the need to retrieve a rifle and said where it could be found and in a wrapped towel, law enforcement said.
Another message stated that he changed his clothes, according to Cox.
Robinson had expressed his disdain for Kirk in the day leading up to the shooting with a relative also claiming the conservative, a married father of two, was “full of hate,” officials said.
