Death penalty pursued as suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting charged with aggravated murder
The suspect at the centre of the shooting of Charlie Kirk has been charged with aggravated murder and six other charges, and the death penalty is to be sought for the offences.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody less than two days after the 31-year-old conservative activist was shot by a single bullet while speaking at Utah Valley University last week, just moments after he was asked about mass shootings in America.
Kirk, who founded the youth movement called Turning Point USA, was taken to the hospital but later died.
Laying out the charges, County Attorney Jeff Gray said his murder "has shattered the lives of those he loved".
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, and commission of a violent offence in the presence of a child.
Attorney Gray said he has taken the decision to seek the death penalty for Kirk.
Utah is a state with the death penalty, and if Robinson is charged, prosecutors will likely seek to have him killed.
Robinson is scheduled to appear on camera via a virtual court hearing on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said during a round of interviews that Robinson was "not cooperating" with investigators despite handing himself in, but confirmed his friends and family have been speaking with authorities.
He was urged by his father and a family member, who is a local pastor, to hand himself in.
Last week, US President Donald Trump said he hoped that Kirk’s killer would get the death penalty.
"Well, I hope - he’s going to be found guilty, I would imagine - and I hope he gets the death penalty," he said.
"What he did, Charlie Kirk, he was the finest person that, he didn’t deserve this. He worked so hard and so well, everybody liked him."
Editor-in-Chief
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
