Charlie Kirk murder suspect Tyler Robinson exchanged jokes in group chat as manhunt closed in

A new report has given an insight into Tyler Robinson’s online demeanour during the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s killing, with messages said to have been sent hours before Robinson’s arrest revealed.

After a screenshot of surveillance photos showing a person of interest in Mr Kirk’s shooting began circulating, Mr Robinson, 22, allegedly wrote in a Discord group chat, obtained by The New York Times, that his “doppelgänger” was trying to “get me in trouble.”

In the hours before his arrest, Mr Robinson reportedly continued exchanging jokes and remarks with friends online. One message showed him telling the group they could turn him in to the FBI, “only if I get a cut.”

The Discord exchange offers a window into Mr Robinson’s state of mind after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down at Utah Valley University while running one of his “prove me wrong” tables on September 10.

The FBI soon released surveillance images of the man they sought, asking for the public’s help.

According to the report, an acquaintance messaged Mr Robinson’s account with the pictures and the message “wya” (meaning “where you at?”), along with a skull emoji. Within a minute, Mr Robinson allegedly replied about his “doppelgänger”.

In another conversation, group members reacted to the news: “Tyler killed Charlie!!!!” wrote one, while another suggested reporting Mr Robinson to the FBI for the reward.

Mr Robinson replied: “Only if I get a cut.”

A further exchange referenced another high-profile crime: “Whatever you do, don’t go to a McDonald’s anytime soon,” a user said, referencing Luigi Mangione, an accused shooter in a separate case.

Mr Robinson responded that he “better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around”.

When another Discord member suggested that Donald Trump would deploy the National Guard to Utah after Kirk’s murder, Mr Robinson replied, “In a red state??? nah, CLEARLY the shooter was from California.”

The New York Times’ investigation shows Robinson was following the news: “I heard the ammo had somethin about trans stuff on it, but they aren’t releasing photos or exact quotes,” he wrote, referencing reports about engravings on the bullets.

Minutes later, he joked, “Actually, Charlie Kirk. wanted to get outta politics so I faked my death, now I can live out my dream life in Kansas.”

Mr Robinson’s arrest, just 33 hours after Mr Kirk’s shooting, happened shortly after these messages were sent; according to group chat logs reviewed by the Times, many users could not believe that their friend could be involved.

“I truly cannot distinguish if this is for real,” read one. “Our governor wants to give him the death penalty dude,” said another.

A Discord spokesperson told People, “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and extend our condolences to the Kirk family and everyone affected. In the course of our investigation, we identified a Discord account associated with the suspect, but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord”.

“The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages. These were communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting, where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere.”

The spokesperson added, “We have removed the suspect’s account for violating our off-platform behaviour policy. We strongly condemn violence of any kind, including political violence, and we will continue to coordinate closely with law enforcement.”