The man accused of assassinating right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was reportedly living with a transgender partner.
The 31-year-old father of two was shot on Wednesday while answering a question about gun violence in front of a crowd of 3,000 people at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested over the murder. Multiple media outlets in the US on Saturday night claimed Robinson was living with a partner who was ‘transitioning from male to female.’
The partner, who lives with Robinson in a three-bedroom apartment in Utah, is ‘fully co-operating’ with the FBI.
It is understood that they handed over text messages supposedly sent by Robinson following the killing, identifying that the rifle used was left in a wooded area.
According to Fox News, a source said: “The shooter was living with a transgender man who was transitioning from male to female.
“The status of their relationship isn't known. They were friends who enjoyed playing video games together.
“The transgender individual is co-operating fully with police and is not considered a suspect.”
According to the Daily Mail, Robinson was living with Lance Twiggs, 22, in a three-bedroom apartment.
It is unclear if Twiggs is the same person referenced in the report, and has not been identified in the affidavit filed Friday.
Their grandfather, Jerry Twiggs, told the Daily Mail he could not comment on rumours about their gender identity or claims that it may have motivated the murder.
“I don’t want to comment on that. I’m not sure what his situation is exactly right now,” he said, claiming that he had never met Robinson.
Friends said the accused and Twiggs were part of a larger group of gamers from Robinson’s Pine View High School who used the online chat platform Discord. According to the affidavit, the incriminating messages to Twiggs were also sent via Discord.
This came after a Kirk’s widowed wife Erika, 36, gave a teary speech remembering him as “the perfect husband and father.”
Speaking in a live TV address on Friday night, she said: “My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children.
“The evildoers responsible for my husband's assassination have no idea what they have done.
“You have no idea the fire you have ignited within his wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
In the UK, the Oxford Union has reported that its incoming president, George Abaraonye, 20, will be up against disciplinary action after he allegedly wrote in a WhatsApp group with fellow students: “Charlie Kirk got shot, let's f***ing go.”
