Is Tyler Robinson even disputing the murder charge for assassinating Charlie Kirk? Right now, a curious silence exists from the defense, where normally attorneys and allies would already have launched some sort of public defense -- either outright denials, claims of mistaken identity, or perhaps claims of some sort of diminished capacity. After being arrested on Thursday night, the Robinson team has stayed under the radar.
Even if Robinson's team had an inclination for a public defense, the ground keeps narrowing underneath it. FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox & Friends that the FBI has DNA evidence at the crime scene that puts Robinson on the rooftop and handling the murder weapon -- and that's even before a full forensic analysis of the rifle. Plus, Patel revealed that Robinson had posted his intent to kill Kirk, although the FBI director declined to discuss motive:
FBI Director Kash Patel confirms DNA match of Tyler Robinson with the towel used to wrap the rifle and a screwdriver found at the sniper nest
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) September 15, 2025
ATF is analyzing the rifle itself and will provide DNA results soon
Kash confirms dozens of people in Leftist group chats are being… https://t.co/sxTx26b9Yc
DNA found at the spot where Charlie Kirk’s assassin hid has been positively matched to the suspect, Tyler Robinson — who also wrote about his plans to “take out” the conservative debater, FBI Director Kash Patel revealed early Monday.
DNA matching Robinson, 22, was found on a towel that covered the murder weapon when it was ditched — as well as a screwdriver found in the sniper’s nest on a roof, Patel told “Fox & Friends.”
Further DNA found on the bolt-action hunting rifle believed to have been used in last Wednesday’s shooting is still being analyzed to determine its links to Robinson, the FBI boss said.
Should Patel discuss this publicly? Perhaps it's a little premature, but this evidence would likely get published in an updated indictment sooner or later, and most likely sooner. Suppose Robinson challenged the identification as the shooter and demanded bail before trial, as unlikely as it seems at the moment. In that case, you can bet that Utah prosecutors -- this is still a state case, not federal -- would present that evidence in court to get a no-bail decision as well. This isn't a secret, after all, even if the defense will eventually claim that Robinson can't get a fair trial due to the publicity and the reports of the evidence. (Good luck with that, too.)
Robinson isn't the only person who should worry about pre-trial moves by law enforcement in this case, either. The Free Beacon reports this morning that the FBI has expanded its investigation into a potential conspiracy for murder involving more than a half-dozen others:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating social media posts by at least seven different accounts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, according to three people familiar with the investigation and screenshots obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The posts—one of which referenced the date of Kirk’s assassination, September 10, more than a month before it took place—were all deleted in the days following the killing. Several of the accounts appear to belong to transgender individuals, and at least one of them followed suspect Tyler Robinson's roommate, with whom Robinson was allegedly in a relationship, on TikTok.
The FBI has received archived copies of the posts, according to a person who flagged them for the agency. Screenshots of the posts have been circulating online but had not been previously authenticated.
While the posts do not establish that any of the individuals knew or conspired with Robinson, the 22-year-old gunman who allegedly shot Kirk, several of them mention the conservative activist by name and fantasize about his death.
Patel references this in his interview above, too. He explains that the FBI has to track down these users to discover their true identities, and once they do, they will interrogate them if enough evidence suggests involvement before the fact. The reference to the date may not mean much, though; Kirk's event was likely set a few months in advance at Utah Valley University, and that would have been an obvious target date. However, if these friends of Robinson deleted these messages rather than preserving them for the FBI, the Department of Justice could charge them with obstruction (a felony), and it certainly would tend to look as though they felt the need to cover up their complicity in Robinson's actions.
In other words, prosecutors appear to have one slam-dunk case. Stay tuned to see if they have others as well.
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