Utah prosecutors said on Tuesday they will seek the death penalty for the suspect in conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination and revealed some of the evidence against him, including alleged text messages in which he appeared to confess to the crime.
"I had enough of his hatred," Tyler Robinson, 22, told his roommate and romantic partner when asked why he had committed the murder, according to transcripts of messages in court documents filed by prosecutors on Tuesday.
He is accused of firing the single rifle shot from a rooftop sniper's nest that pierced Kirk's neck last Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City.
Utah County District Attorney Jeffrey Gray said at a press conference that his office had filed seven counts against Robinson on Tuesday, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice for disposing of evidence and witness tampering for asking his roommate to delete texts implicating him.
Gray said he had made the decision to seek the death penalty "independently, based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime."
Some politicians, including U.S. President Donald Trump, had called for the death penalty in the case.
The defendant spoke only once, when asked to state his name. Utah District Court Judge Tony Graf said he would appoint a defence attorney to represent Robinson before the next court hearing, scheduled for 29 September.
On the day of the shooting, Robinson texted his roommate, the charging document said, telling him to look for a note under his keyboard.
When the roommate asked why he had shot Kirk, Robinson wrote, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out." He also said he had planned the attack for more than a week, prosecutors said.
In later text messages, Robinson said he wished he had gone back and grabbed the rifle that he left in a bush immediately following the killing, noting that it had belonged to his grandfather.
"I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpas rifle," he wrote. "I might have to abandon it and hope they don’t find prints."
DNA found on the trigger of what authorities believe was the murder weapon was linked to Robinson, prosecutors said.
Texts to roommate
Robinson turned himself in a day after the shooting, after his parents saw images of the gunman and confronted him, according to the filings. Robinson implied that he wanted to take his own life, but Robinson's parents were able to convince him to meet them at their home, where Robinson indicated that he was the shooter.
Robinson ultimately decided to surrender to police after speaking at his parents' urging with a family friend who is a retired deputy sheriff, prosecutors said.
"I'm much more worried about you," he wrote to the roommate after revealing he would turn himself in. He also urged the roommate to delete the messages and to refuse to speak with police or the media.
The roommate, who was not identified in court papers, is cooperating with authorities, officials have said.
Prosecutors have added aggravating factors to the murder and firearm charges because Robinson is believed to have targeted Kirk based on political views and knew that children would witness the killing, Gray said. Under state law, only aggravated murder can carry the death penalty.
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of the conservative student movement Turning Point U.S. and a key Trump ally, was speaking at an event attended by 3,000 people when he was gunned down.
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Police and federal agents mounted an intense manhunt on Thursday for the sniper believed to have fired the single gunshot that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk as he was fielding questions about gun violence during a university appearance.
Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has died after being shot at a Utah Valley University event on Wednesday.
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