Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of killing Charlie Kirk, admitted his involvement to friends through an online Discord chat roughly two hours prior to his arrest, based on screenshots reviewed by The Washington Post and statements from two individuals with knowledge of the conversation.
A message sent from Robinson's Discord account read, "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all," followed by, "It was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all of this."
Thursday evening, at approximately 7:57 p.m. local time, marked the time this admission appeared, roughly two hours ahead of Robinson's detention by authorities, The Washington Post reported.
An individual from the Discord group provided screenshot evidence to The Washington Post and verified the message originated from Robinson's profile, requesting anonymity due to concerns about potential harassment.
Authorities received the confession message from Discord after the platform cooperated with law enforcement, based on information from an individual with knowledge of the company's involvement with investigators who requested anonymity since they lacked authorization for public statements about the case.
Robinson had sent his admission to a private Discord group consisting of online acquaintances, with the platform actively collaborating with FBI agents and regional law enforcement by supplying details about Robinson's digital footprint, the source explained.
The platform stated, following an internal review, that investigators found "no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord."
Screenshots provided to The Washington Post reveal group members discussing Kirk's death on Wednesday afternoon, prior to news emerging about Robinson's suspected involvement, within a chat containing approximately 30 participants based on the source's account. One participant post, "Charlie Kirk got shot," based on message screenshots. Roughly 90 minutes afterward, someone else commented, "I just saw the video holy s---," before writing about Kirk, "Bro didn't deserve to go out like that sad."
Robinson's account remained silent until Thursday, when the "bad news" announcement appeared. The message stated, "I'm surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments," then added, "thanks for all the good times and laughs, you've all been so amazing, thank you all for everything."
Screenshots reviewed by The Washington Post indicate Robinson received no immediate replies Thursday night, though Friday brought a response from one participant who acknowledged the confession appeared genuine, requesting members "pray for Tyler and his repentance" before addressing Kirk's death. The participant wrote, "While Charlie Kirk's politics were not acceptable to some I ask that we all say a prayer for him and his family during these confusing times."
A separate Discord conversation from earlier Thursday involved Robinson joking about a "doppelganger" attempting to frame him following police release of suspect photos resembling Robinson, as The New York Times documented, with Cox acknowledging Sunday that conversation occurred and Robinson's associates "did not believe it was actually him" during that exchange, while the individual supplying Discord screenshots to The Washington Post clarified these messages originated from a separate chat group.
