Tyler Robinson Joked in Discord Chat After Allegedly Killing Charlie Kirk

The day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah, his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, appeared in a private Discord group chat—joking that someone was trying to get him in trouble. Hours later, he would allegedly confess to the crime and surrender to authorities.

At the time, the FBI had just released surveillance photos of a man in a baseball cap and sunglasses seen at Utah Valley University. In the Discord chat, someone tagged Robinson’s username and posted the images with the caption “wya” (where you at?) and a skull emoji. Robinson replied that his “doppelganger” was trying to “get me in trouble.”

Another user chimed in, apparently in jest: “Tyler killed Charlie!!!!” But the joke turned grim. Later that night, 34 hours after the fatal shooting, Robinson, 22, was arrested by law enforcement.

The Discord messages, shared with The New York Times by a former classmate, offer insight into Robinson’s demeanor after the killing. In a separate Discord chat that same day, he allegedly confessed: “It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m sorry for all of this,” and added, “I’m surrendering through a sheriff friend… Thanks for all the good times.”

Discord confirmed it had turned over the suspect’s messages to the FBI and local authorities. While the platform found no evidence Robinson planned violence there, investigators believe he held a “leftist ideology” and expressed hatred toward Kirk—clues now central to understanding his motive.