Charlie Kirk suspect’s group chat poked fun at him after FBI released images

Tyler Robinson, the prime suspect in the death of Charlie Kirk, joked that his ‘doppelganger’ did it after the conservative activist was gunned down.

New details have emerged after the 31-year-old right-wing activist was shot in the neck and killed at Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday in front of an audience

It led to a state-wide manhunt in Utah, with the FBI releasing two fuzzy CCTV images showing the suspect – a young man wearing a cap and sunglasses – at the campus.

News of the shooting had spread like wildfire, and FBI agents had asked for help to identify the man.

Now messages revealed by the New York Times show how Tyler Robinson, 22, the key suspect in the case, got in on jokes about the killing the following day.

In one message in a group of about 20 people, Robinson’s acquaintance sent the CCTV image and tagged him with caption ‘where you at’ along with a skull emoji, suggesting that he resembled the wanted man.

Robinson replied, writing that his ‘doppelganger’ was trying to ‘get me in trouble.’

Another user in the chat quipped: ‘Tyler killed Charlie!!!!’

The conversation then turns to the FBI manhunt, with another user joking that they could turn Robinson in and bag the $100,000 reward, sparking Robinson to respond ‘only if I get a cut.’

Someone then referenced the arrest of Luigi Mangione in the aftermath of the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, saying that ‘Whatever you do, don’t go to a McDonald’s anytime soon.’

Robinson replied: ‘Better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around.’

After messaging about what the police had revealed about the engraving on the bullets, the jokes took even a darker turn, with Robinson writing: ‘I’m actually Charlie Kirk, wanted to get outta politics so I faked my death, now I can live out my dream life in Kansas.’

However, the messages do not clarify a possible motivation, which has been debated online. 

The New York Times said it got hold of the screenshots after someone in the group chat who said he knew Tyler in high school shared them on condition of anonymity, adding that he hadn’t seen Robinson for years in person.

The username purporting to be Robinson matched his other online accounts, although Discord declined to confirm it, the NYT reports.

Kirk, a conservative podcaster and a Donald Trump ally, was fatally wounded when a single bullet was fired from a nearby rooftop while he was on stage speaking to students, with the shooting caught on camera.

The suspect fled, and after the 33-hour manhunt, the US President announced on the Fox & Friends programme that the suspect is in custody.

‘I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,’ Trump said.

Robinson, who lived in St George, Utah, was arrested on Thursday night, after relatives and family – thought to be his father – alerted the authorities.

Now Robinson is being held on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm and obstruction of justice.

He is expected to be charged on Tuesday.

Neighbours of Robinson’s family, who live in the town of Washington, Utah, said they are ‘a great family, just regular citizens.’

Speaking to the BBC, one neighbour described Robinson as a ‘pretty quiet kid.’

Meanwhile, Mr Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, broke her silence on her husband’s death with a speech recorded next to Mr Kirk’s empty podcasting chair in his studio.

She vowed to continue his political work, saying that ‘I will never let your legacy die, baby.’

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