Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin reportedly planned the shooting for more than a week, texts show
AN ABC journalist has been widely slammed online after he described text messages between Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin and his roommate as touching.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was charged with murder and faces the death penalty – days after the assassination at Utah Valley University that left the US reeling.
Utah County officials released charging documents on Tuesday and revealed text messages documenting an exchange between Robinson and his roommate.
In the conversation on September 10, Robinson appeared to admit he carried out the killing.
He described his roommate as his “love” and apologized to him.
“Im gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff,” Robinson said.
“You are all I worry about love.”
The roommate replied: “I’m much more worried about you.”
In the court filings, prosecutors said Robinson and the roommate were “romantically involved.”
Gutman reported from the press conference where officials unveiled the charges and commented on the text messages.
He described the communications as “intimate, fulsome, and very touching.”
“But, also, it was very touching in a way that many of us didn’t expect,” Gutman said.
Gutman appeared to be emotional when he shed light on the relationship between Robinson and his roommate.
“A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love.’ And ‘I want to protect you, my love,” the journalist told viewers.
But, top Republicans were quick to criticize Gutman’s description.
“Legacy media in all its glory,” Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, wrote on X.
Jim Banks, an Indiana Senator, was taken aback by the description.
“Wait, what??” he wrote.
Scores of X users criticized Gutman’s choice to use the word “touching.”
“Just draw-dropping,” one X user said.
“This can’t be real,” another chimed.
Gutman has now spoken out about his choice of words.
“Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk – a man who dedicated his life to public dialogue – and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference,” he wrote on X.
“I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear.”
He said he “unequivocally condemned” what unfolded at UVU.
The texts also revealed Robinson told his roommate to look under his keyboard.
“I have an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” a note seen by cops said.
“You’re joking, right,” the roommate replied.
Robinson told his roommate that he had planned the shooting for more than a week before instructing him to delete the conversation.
He allegedly opened fire while on the roof of UVU’s Losee Center – around 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking to students.
Kirk’s assassination sparked a 33-hour manhunt – with cops initially arresting George Zinn, an elderly man, as chaos unfolded on the campus.
Zinn, a well-known political agitator, was mistaken for the gunman with one person describing him as a “f**king monster.”
He later told cops he wanted to create a distraction as part of a plot to “draw attention” away from the real shooter.
Zinn had previously gatecrashed GOP events and was charged in 2013 for threatening to plant bombs at the Salt Lake City marathon finish line.
Robinson was arrested on September 12 and appeared to admit carrying out the killing in a Discord chat – hours before he was taken into custody.
A Mauser 98 .30-06 high-powered rifle was used to carry out the killing, according to Spencer Cox, the Utah governor.
ANTIFASCIST ETCHINGS
Lyrics from songs sung by Italian anti-fascists were found inscribed on Robinson’s ammunition.
The warning “Hey fascist! Catch” was also inscribed on his bullet casings.
Internet memes referencing furries were also discovered on the ammunition.
During the manhunt, investigators released surveillance footage of who they thought killed Kirk.
And, the shooter’s mother recognized him in the pictures, according to Jeff Gray, the Utah County Attorney.
But, Robinson apparently told his mom he had been home ill on the day Kirk was shot dead.
STONY-FACED ‘KILLER’
Robinson appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday.
During the hearing, he was stony-faced and only spoke to give his name.
He has been jailed without bail and is scheduled to appear in court next on September 29.
Kirk, who co-founded the youth movement Turning Point USA, has left behind his widow, Erika, and his two young children.
Erika revealed that she told her daughter Kirk was on a “work trip” with Jesus.
In a heartwrenching address, she described him as the “perfect” father and husband.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15202065/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk-assassination-roommate-texts/
