It’s been an extended week filled with overzealous hypothesis about the motive behind Charlie Kirk’s assassination and his killer’s ideology.
But on Tuesday, we lastly obtained a extra substantial image of the suspect, Tyler Robinson, and his actions.
Prosecutors in Utah released charging documents that don’t ascribe a particular motive however do characteristic a variety of clues and make clear Robinson’s politics.
Such acts of violence typically characteristic suspects and perpetrators with typically conflicting units of beliefs and traits that don’t essentially match neatly on the right-left political continuum, regardless of politicians’ and partisans’ makes an attempt guilty the opposite facet.
It’s nonetheless early, and the image we’ve gotten thus far comes from legislation enforcement. Much stays to play out in courtroom.
But right here’s what we’ve realized thus far.
Prosecutors have declined to state what they consider motivated Robinson. But maybe essentially the most direct proof is his alleged allusions to “hate.”
Text messages present Robinson’s roommate asking him why he did it.
“I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson allegedly responded. “Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
The charging paperwork say Robinson’s household additionally requested why he did it, and he “explained there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate.”
That proof would appear to undercut theories that Robinson may need been motivated by far-right views. While some on the far-right have strongly opposed Kirk – you may need heard in current days about “groypers” – they typically disliked him as a result of they didn’t suppose he was far-right sufficient.
But the proof thus far doesn’t instantly level to what particular type of alleged “hate” Robinson objected to.
President Donald Trump and his allies leapt to say this was an assault by the unconventional left earlier than we even had a suspect or exhausting proof. Meanwhile, some commentators on the left responded to early clues by claiming Robinson was from the far-right. Those who knew Robinson initially gave conflicting and complicated accounts about his politics.
The fuller proof we now have suggests Robinson held liberal views.
In addition to criticizing Kirk for allegedly spreading hate, the charging paperwork say Robinson’s mom “explained that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.”
The paperwork additionally say Robinson had “several” political discussions with members of the family, particularly his father, and that the 2 of them “have very different political views.”
Robinson within the textual content messages allegedly described his father as “pretty diehard MAGA,” since Trump took workplace.
The charging paperwork don’t embrace the texts instantly earlier than or after he allegedly stated that, so it’s not clear the context during which he introduced that up. But the restricted proof we have from his household suggests he was at the least left-leaning and disagreed together with his MAGA father.
Yet that restricted proof about his political leanings nonetheless doesn’t again up recommendations from the president and his allies that Robinson was a part of the “radical left.”
It’s attainable Robinson harbored extra radical views that he didn’t share together with his household, however the one particular points highlighted within the proof thus far are assist for homosexual and trans rights.
Initially, unverified suggestions had been leaked to the general public that claimed the ammunition featured engravings that included transgender “ideology.” (The bullets seem to characteristic no such factor.)
Later, we realized that Robinson’s roommate – with whom he was in a romantic relationship — is “a biological male who was transitioning genders,” based on what Robinson’s mom advised investigators. The textual content messages present Robinson repeatedly referring to the roommate as “my love” and “love.”
Kirk had vehemently criticized transgender rights. At one level he stated the nation wanted “a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor.”
Given all of that, it might be logical to infer that the “hate” Robinson allegedly referenced may allude to Kirk’s outspoken criticism of transgender rights. But the paperwork don’t draw an specific connection.
The engravings on the bullets stay a query mark.
While there was no obvious transgender “ideology” on the bullets, there are different references that might be learn as Robinson expressing opposition to fascism. At the identical time, these references may additionally allude to online game tradition and on-line jokes slightly than political motives.
The different engravings which were spotlighted embrace one bullet studying, “Hey Facist! Catch!” and one other studying, “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao ciao,” based on the charging paperwork.
Those first phrases, although, had been adopted by a sequence of arrows that seem to sign a maneuver within the online game Helldivers 2 – a sport that many consider to be a satire of fascism.
“Bella Ciao” is an outdated Italian antifascist tune, nevertheless it’s additionally one which has been celebrated by loads of different causes and is popular in video game culture.
The phrases recommend Robinson was immersed in an typically irony-soaked on-line tradition the place meanings could be complicated.
And even when the references had been to video video games, that doesn’t imply they couldn’t additionally mirror Robinson’s opposition to fascism.
Regardless, the textual content messages recommend Robinson may need been completely happy that folks had been flummoxed by his references.
“The fuckin messages are mostly a big meme,” Robinson allegedly texted his roommate.
According to the texts, he then alluded to a different engraving that referenced the old “notices bulge” meme.
“… If I see ‘notices bulge uwu’ on fox new [sic] I might have a stroke,” Robinson allegedly added.
Notably, the charging paperwork suggest that this change got here earlier than the earliest experiences on the bullet engravings on Thursday. That suggests Robinson was anticipating how they might be obtained, slightly than reacting to early protection of them.
Republicans have speculated lots in current days that Robinson won’t have acted alone – or that acts like his had been influenced or funded by shadowy left-wing teams. Trump has previewed a crackdown on such groups, regardless of the dearth of proof connecting Robinson to any of them.
“It is a vast domestic terror movement,” stated Trump’s prime home coverage adviser, Stephen Miller.
“It is not organic,” Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri alleged Tuesday whereas referring to left-wing violence. “It is the offspring of a dark and clandestine system funded in part with our own tax dollars. … This system lurks behind every radical leftist movement in our nation today.”
But there’s no real evidence that Robinson’s actions had been linked to any broader left-wing community, together with within the charging paperwork.
The textual content messages recommend even Robinson’s roommate wasn’t conscious of what he was doing.
And the messages additionally don’t sign Robinson’s involvement in any such left-wing group. If something, they level to his immersion in on-line online game tradition.