STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The man accused of killing Kirk is facing the death penalty. Utah prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder and also obstruction charges for trying to cover his tracks.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
NPR's Tovia Smith is following developments from St. George, Utah. Tovia, I saw that Robinson only spoke to state his name. Was this his first time in court?
TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: Yes, first since he was taken into custody, and he appeared yesterday remotely from jail where he's being held without bail, and he was wearing a suicide prevention smock. Prosecutors say Robinson had implied to his parents that he'd rather take his own life than go to jail, though his parents did eventually convince him to turn himself in. Yesterday, during the hearing, he really showed no emotion at all as the judge read the charges against him. Those include the main one, aggravated murder that carries the death penalty, and also several others, including obstruction of justice for allegedly hiding what's believed to be the murder weapon and for allegedly telling his roommate to delete their texts and not to talk to authorities.
MARTÍNEZ: So on that text exchange, what more did prosecutors say about it?
SMITH: Well, they showed really a stunning string of texts. These are still allegations, let's remember, but the stream that prosecutors laid out does appear to have Robinson confessing. The roommate allegedly writes to him, you weren't the one who did it, right? And according to prosecutors, Robinson replies, I am. I'm sorry. What was also stunning was another exchange that county attorney Jeff Gray read aloud to reporters that speaks to a possible motive.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JEFF GRAY: Roommate - why?
Robinson - why did I do it?
Roommate - yeah.
Robinson - I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out.
SMITH: Prosecutors say Robinson also told his parents that he thought Charlie Kirk was, quote, "evil." The parents said their son had recently shifted politically to the left and became very, quote, "trans rights-oriented," about the same time he started to date his roommate, who authorities describe as a biological male transitioning to a female. I'll note that the evidence shared publicly at least so far, suggests that the roommate had no advanced knowledge of the shooting and has been cooperating with investigators, according to authorities, though the prosecutor yesterday declined to say whether the roommate might face charges at some point.
MARTÍNEZ: Mentioned that Robinson hasn't really said much. Is he cooperating at all with the investigation?
SMITH: Early on, authorities said he was not. Yesterday, Jeff Gray, the prosecutor, would not say one way or the other. He also declined to say whether other people may be involved. He would only say the investigation is ongoing. And separately, FBI director Kash Patel said yesterday his agency is investigating, quote, "anyone and everyone who was involved in a gaming chat room on Discord with Robinson."
MARTÍNEZ: You've been to Robinson's hometown in Utah, talking to people there. What are you hearing?
SMITH: Well, lots of mixed emotions. I spoke to neighbors who know and love and support the Robinson family, who say they also support the death penalty in this case - an eye for an eye, as one told me. And one person I spoke to - a self-described liberal in this quite conservative community - she is unsure how she feels about the death penalty, but she says she opposes the views expressed by Charlie Kirk, and she spoke about his death as almost some kind of karma. She was quick to acknowledge that that may make some people think she's a terrible person, but she said that's how she feels.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Tovia Smith in St. George, Utah. Tovia, thanks.
SMITH: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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