LOS ANGELES (OC).–Charlie Kirk’s assassin 22=year=old Tyler Robinson clammed up to Utah’s local police and the FBI now that he faces capital murder with the death penality. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau has DNA evidence on a screwdriver found the roof of the building at Utah Valley University and in the towel used to wrap up the high-powered, bolt-action rifle used to murder Kirk Sept. 10 while delivering a speech at the university. Kirk was struck by Robinson with a single shot to the neck, killing him almost instantly severing his carotid artery. “I can report today that the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody,” Patel said on “Fox and Friends.” Whatever Robinson’s denial now, he was also positively identified in video tape fleeting from the rooftop after firing the kill shot.
Utah officials and the FBI were engaged in an exhaustive manhunt for the killer until his father turned him in to local authorities who promptly arrested him without incident. Whatever the differences, there’s striking similarity with United Healthcare CEO Brian Thomson’s killer, Luigin Mangione, 27, who gunned down Thompson in cold blood outside in Manhattan hotel before fleeing from the law. What eerily similar is how two young people, with Robinson five years younger than Luigi, having an apparent obsession with their victim, certainly with both going to great lengths to stalk and kill their identified subjects. Robinson apparently imagined that Kirk was somehow destroying American democracy, a frequent refrain heard by Democrats and the fake news about Trump. Like most post-teenagers there’s a blurred line between reality and fantasy, with Robinson lost in middle.
Luigi apparently clammed up just like Robinson once he was in police custody after leading law enforcement on the goose chase before he was nabbed Dec. 9, 2024 at a MeDonald’s in Altoona, Penn. Now Tyler follows the same pattern of refusing to talk to law enforcement, thinking that somehow would get him off the hook. New York and Penn. authorities have everything they needed to arrest Luigi and tie him to the Dec. 4, 2024 cold blooded shooting in the back of Brian Thomson. When it comes to Tyler Robinson, he went to great lengths to track down Charlie Kirk, knowing he was speaking at Utah Valley University Sept. 10. How ironic that Robinson copied the would be assassin of President Donald Trump July 13, 2024 who climbed on a roof at took a shot but only grazed Trump’s ear. Kirk had no such luck, taking a bullet to his carotid artery.
When Robinson appears in a Utah court tomorrow he’ll face aggravated murder, felony discharge of of weapon causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Aggravated murder faces a potential death penalty, opening up a can-of-worms, especially for someone 22-year-of-age. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vowed the state would seek the death penalty for the special circumstance of political assassination. Whatever local police and FBI piece together, Robinson has a vendetta with Kirk, demonized in his mind as the threat to the Constitution and U.S. democracy. Robinson was brainwashed to perform his civic duty to taking out Kirk someone he demonized by Democrats as a threat to the country. Whatever Kirk’s motives, he operated with a 22-year-old brain, not mature enough to stop an insidious process that robbed him of any logic or reality testing. But now that he’s faced with reality in jail, he can’t deal with the horrific act he executed.
Vice President J.D. Vance showed his respect for Charlie Kirk hosting his nationally syndicated radio show, telling the audience what he meant to the MAGA movement and Trump’s election in 2024. Trump and Vance were hard hit by Kirk’s assassination, knowing the daily role he played in advancing the MAGA movement. Kirk has been denigrated on the left for his strict opposition to abortion, something that goes with his Christian nationalism. Kirk fought the battle with liberals all over the country whether it was on the border, abortion or prayer in public schools. Liberal group despised his efforts to steer impressionable college students to register to vote as Republicans. When Kirk’s memorial service in held at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium Sept. 21 in Glendale, Az., liberals will only scoff at the hoopla for someone they view as a threat to democracy.
Kirk’s assassination raises many questions about the polarization of U.S. politics, nothing new but hitting a new low point in American history. Whether Kirk’s death galavanizes conservative before the 2026 Midterm election is anyone’s guess. Kirk’s widow Erika said the assassination will not stop the Turning Point USA, the nonprofit Kirk founded at age 18 in 2012, for its mission of getting out the conservative message and registering youth voters. Well, as J.D. Vance found out today, hosting nationally syndicated radio show is no easy feat, left only to the most charismatic. While it’s good that Erik feels passionately about carrying on Charlie’s legacy, it’s going to be difficult to replace Charlie. He was one of a kind with the enthusiasm and drive rarely seen in a generation. There’s no one on the conservative bench that can come close to what Charlie did for the GOP.
About the Author John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma
