Charlie Kirk shooter suspect Tyler Robinson’s roommate showed investigators Discord messages that discussed hiding a rifle and engraving bullets, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday during a press conference.
Cox said the roommate identified the messages as belonging to Robinson, 22, who was arrested Thursday night after a nationwide manhunt, Newsweek reported.
The governor said investigators took photos of the messages, which allegedly described leaving a rifle in a bush, wrapping it in a towel, and adding a scope.
Other posts mentioned “engraving bullets,” changing outfits, and monitoring the spot where the rifle had been left.
Cox added that the roommate told investigators Robinson had even made a “joke” about the gun and bullets on Discord.
Law enforcement later recovered a Mauser Model 98, .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle with a mounted scope wrapped in a dark towel in a tree-lined area near the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday. It’s not clear who may have supplied and ‘dropped off’ the weapon believed to have been used in the attack.
The governor said the recovery confirmed details provided by the roommate, though Discord itself later disputed the claims that the platform was the source of the messages.
Discord confirmed Robinson had an account but said its internal review found no evidence he planned the attack or promoted violence through its platform.
The company said the specific messages Cox referenced were not Discord posts, but instead came from communications between Robinson’s roommate and a friend after the shooting.
Those messages, according to Discord, were the roommate recounting the contents of a note Robinson had left elsewhere.
A Discord spokesperson told Newsweek, “We strongly condemn violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement.”
The arrest of Robinson ended a nationwide manhunt after Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking to students.
Kirk, who led the conservative student movement with more than 850 campus chapters, was a frequent speaker at universities, conferences, and rallies.
He was also a close ally of President Donald Trump, who reacted to the arrest on Fox & Friends on Friday morning.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” Trump said live on air.
The President said Robinson was turned in by his own father, who recognized him in photos released by the FBI.
Trump later said, “I hope he’s gonna be found guilty, I would imagine, and I hope he gets the death penalty for what he did.”
Cox confirmed investigators believe Robinson acted alone, though they are still reviewing evidence collected from the suspect’s home and devices.
The governor said Robinson had “become more political in recent years,” a shift that was noticed by both his family and his roommate.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason described Robinson as someone who “blended in well with the college institution.”
Court documents indicate Robinson has no prior misdemeanor or felony convictions.
Newsweek identified Robinson’s mother as Amber Jones Robinson, a University of Utah graduate and social worker, who has posted photos of her family, including Tyler, on her Facebook page.
She and Tyler visited Utah State University in 2021, where she wrote online about spending time with her son.
“It was great to get some one-on-one time with this boy,” she posted, adding that they enjoyed Aggie ice cream during the trip.
Robinson remains in custody in Utah County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
He is expected to face charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice.
Aggravated murder in Utah carries the possibility of the death penalty, and state officials have confirmed that option remains on the table.
Memorial services for Kirk have not yet been announced. The conservative leader is survived by his wife and two young children.