Charlie Kirk’s murder suspect seen in first court appearance as state seeks death penalty: Live updates

Tyler Robinson, who has been charged with the murder of Charlie Kirk, appeared in court, virtually, for the first time Tuesday.

• Robinson appeared emotionless as Judge Tony Graf, of the Fourth District Court, read him the seven charges against him, noting the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.
• The judge said he will appoint a lawyer to represent Robinson.
• Robinson nodded when the judge told him he would remain in jail without bail as the case proceeds.
• The next hearing is set for September 29 and will again be held virtually.

The Justice Department has clarified previous comments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying they will not prosecute people for hate speech “alone.”

Bondi said on “The Katie Miller Podcast” Monday the DOJ would “absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”

In a statement to Axios Tuesday, Bondi clarified she was talking about criminal groups or people who incite violence.

“Freedom of speech is sacred in our country, and we will never impede upon that right,” Bondi said. “My intention was to speak about threats of violence that individuals incite against others.”

Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, also confirmed on X Tuesday, “We are not prosecuting people for nasty speech alone — but true incitement to violence, or hate-motivated attacks, are illegal and will be treated as such by this DOJ!”

Beau Mason, the commissioner of Utah’s Department of Public Safety, told CNN Thursday he “absolutely” fears for the safety of suspected Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson’s roommate and family.

“ Do you fear for the roommate’s safety or the parent’s safety or anyone else’s, given how horrific this assassination was and how politically charged it all is?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Mason.

 Mason said, “We absolutely do. We’ve seen threats increase in the hours immediately following the shooting.

“We took one individual into custody and detained them as a person of interest. And then quickly ascertained they were not involved and released them. That individual was threatened and harassed just because they were questioned.”

“And so there’s no doubt in my mind that the family is feeling that pressure. The roommate is feeling that pressure,” the commissioner said.

No one else has been charged in connection with Kirk’s murder, and officials have said they believe Robinson acted alone.

Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah resident accused of fatally shooting MAGA commentator Charlie Kirk, has been formally charged with aggravated murder.

Authorities said Tuesday that Robinson had left a note for his roommate — who is also claimed to be his romantic partner — under his keyboard implicating himself in Kirk’s murder, and then had a text conversation in which he also said he had committed the crimes.

Robinson is claimed to have told his roommate, who authorities say is biologically male and transitioning to female, that he had planned the crime for more than a week.

In the exchange, Robinson told his roommate that he had “hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age,” and apologized for involving them, according to officials. “If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it,” he is claimed to have written.

Robinson also told his roommate to delete their texts and not talk to the media, officials say.

Read more from Mike Bedigan:

Donald Trump’s administration is now embracing the “cancel culture” and assault on free speech he once supposedly ran to subvert.

As MAGAworld mourns one of its most influential figures (and a close friend of many in the White House, including the president’s inner circle), the grief many conservatives are expressing turned to rage over the course of several days after Kirk was murdered on Wednesday at Utah Valley University.

The targets of that rage have increasingly become individual Americans around the country whom the president’s legion of allied influencers, like Laura Loomer, identify as critical of Kirk’s activism in any way, shape or form.

But there’s another Trump insider whose participation in efforts to pursue recrimination against anyone who criticizes Kirk for any one of the racist or derogatory comments he made over the years could have even more significant consequences for Americans: Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“It isn’t just about Charlie Kirk. If you’re a foreigner and you’re out there celebrating the assassination of someone who was speaking somewhere, we don’t want you in our country,” he told reporters Tuesday.

He continued: “Why would we want to give a visa to someone who thinks it’s good that someone was murdered in the public square? That’s just common sense to me.”

Rubio said Monday night, “Visa revocations are under way.”

Kirk, the founder of conservative youth group Turning Point USA and known for his political debates with people from all backgrounds, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University last week.

Rachel Dobkin has the story.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, called Congresswoman Nancy Mace’s resolution to censure colleague Ilhan Omar “ridiculous.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News. “Every time a Republican in this House is offended, they file a censure resolution.”

Mace, a South Carolina Republican, announced Monday she was filing a censure resolution against Omar after her “disgraceful remarks” on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The resolution, which also calls for Omar to be stripped of her committee assignments, references a recent interview the Minnesota Democrat did with liberal journalist Mehdi Hasan.

Omar had expressed “empathy” for Kirk’s family during the interview, but also rebuked those who “completely pretend” Kirk just wanted a “civil debate,” The Washington Post reported.

In response to the resolution, Omar wrote on X Tuesday: “Unlike her, I have routinely condemned political violence, no matter the political ideology. This is all an attempt to push a false story so she can fundraise and boost her run for Governor.”

Kirk, a right-wing political commentator and key Trump ally, was fatally shot while hosting an event at a Utah college on September 10.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host played a clip of the president being asked by a reporter how he was “holding up” after Kirk’s death.

Tom Murray has the story.