Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was reportedly chatting online with friends after the FBI released photos of the alleged killer. The New York Times reports that Robinson was messaging with 20 individuals online following the shooting at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, where Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking event.
According to the report, Robinson engaged in disturbing exchanges with friends who recognized him from the FBI photos. One person reportedly tagged Robinson in a post featuring the FBI images and asked where he was at the time of the murder. Robinson allegedly responded that it was his doppelganger trying to get him in trouble.
The conversations took a darker turn when another person encouraged the group to report Robinson to collect the FBI’s $100,000 reward. Robinson reportedly replied with a sick joke, saying “Only if I get a cut,” accompanied by an avatar of John Arbuckle, a character from the Garfield comic strip. The suspect also referenced Luigi Mangione, who was arrested at a McDonald’s after allegedly killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with someone warning Robinson not to go to McDonald’s anytime soon.
Robinson’s disturbing online behavior revealed through investigation
Robinson continued to play along with the group’s discussions, claiming he should “get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around.” He also suggested the shooter was from California and mentioned mysterious engravings found on bullet casings that investigators later discovered at the scene.
“Only if I get a cut,” Mr. Robinson responded. pic.twitter.com/ErHTZgfEcK
— Daniel Mael (@DanielMael) September 14, 2025
Discord, the social media platform where some of these conversations allegedly took place, told TMZ they found no evidence that Robinson planned the incident or promoted violence on their platform. The company stated that the messages about weapon retrieval and planning details were not Discord messages and likely occurred on a phone-based messaging platform.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox revealed that Robinson’s roommate showed investigators messages on Discord that discussed hiding a rifle wrapped in a towel and engravings on bullets. The roommate was reportedly “aghast” when learning about the shooting and cooperated with authorities by sharing electronic messages from Robinson.
Investigators found a Mauser Model 98 bolt-action rifle with a scope in a wooded area near the campus. The weapon was wrapped in a dark towel, matching details from the online messages. Bullet casings discovered at the scene contained various engravings, including references to anti-fascist messages and internet memes. Despite initial speculation about Robinson’s political motivations, investigators are still working to determine his exact motive for the attack.
