Within two days of Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University last week, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was in police custody on suspicion of 'aggravated murder'.
But his arrest has only served to raise further questions as to the motive and means of the crime, and much else. Today, the Daily Mail poses nine of the most pressing questions surrounding the assassination that shocked the world.
1. Who knew of the alleged plans?
On Monday this week it was revealed the FBI was investigating at least seven social media accounts which appeared to have had foreknowledge of Charlie Kirk's assassination. Seven days before the shooting, one user on X posted: 'itd be funny if someone like Charlie Kirk got shot on september 10th LMAO [laughing my a* off].'
Three weeks earlier, another account had posted: 'September 10 will be a very interesting day.' Following the shooting, the same account re-shared that post, adding: 'I plead the fifth' - referring to an American's constitutional right to remain silent. Shockingly, that post was then re-posted by an account called '@churbum75m' who is an online associate of Tyler Robinson's housemate and lover, Lance Twiggs - who was transitioning from male to female - and which also responded to the killing with a post of their own: 'WE F*ING DID IT.'
It's no surprise then that the FBI is investigating whether the users behind these accounts were genuinely aware of Robinson's intentions or whether it was all just an extraordinary coincidence.
2. Were Robinson's texts doctored?
The release this week of a string of text messages between Robinson and Twiggs marked a major moment in the investigation. For the exchange appears to include Robinson’s confession.
'You weren’t the one who did it right????' asked Lance Twiggs.
'I am, I’m sorry' came Robinson’s reply.
However, some observers believe several things about this exchange don’t quite add up.
Firstly, the language used by Robinson appears oddly inconsistent. At points the suspected killer uses informal speech such as ‘crazy old dude’. At others, his language becomes formal and even technical, including references to a ‘drop point’ and a ‘squad car’ as well as a warning to Twiggs to ‘delete this exchange’.
Could it be, as some conspiracy theorists have suggested, that the texts from Robinson’s phone were somehow doctored? It certainly seems like wild conjecture.
A second - unsupported - theory is that the text exchange could have been a ploy to dissolve Lance Twiggs of responsibility, if Twiggs was aware of Robinson’s plans.
3. Was he motivated by Leftist ideology?
The bullet casings retrieved from the murder weapon appear to suggest Robinson was motivated by ideology. 'Hey fascist! Catch!' read one. Another recited the lines of an Italian anti-Nazi song: 'Oh bella ciao, bella ciao . . .'
A family member admitted that Robinson had expressed increasingly aggressive pro-trans views over recent weeks. Kirk had previously written of the 'trans delusion death cult' and once described trans people as 'a throbbing middle finger to God'.
Could the murder have been motivated by what Utah governor Spencer Cox described as Robinson’s pro-trans and ‘Leftist ideology’? President Trump clearly thinks so, responding to the killing by declaring: ‘We have a radical Left group of lunatics out there.’
4. Was Mossad involved?
On September 9 - the day before he died - Charlie Kirk, a long-time supporter of Israel, raised for the first time questions about the actions of the Jewish state in the Gaza war. 'Is the media totally presenting the truth when it comes to Israel?' he asked.
Kirk wondered aloud whether Israel was conducting 'ethnic cleansing' of the Palestinians. He had also frequently scorned the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who is known to have had links to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Some conspiracy-minded people have wondered: did Kirk somehow overstep a line? Was his assassination ordered from Tel Aviv? It seems extremely unlikely.
5. Did Robinson have 'help' on the ground?
It is perhaps one of the most ludicrous claims circulating that Charlie Kirk's two bodyguards may have been implicated in the shooting. Video footage taken in the seconds before the bullet was fired shows one of Kirk's security detail adjusting his cap, while another raises a left hand to his opposite bicep. This was described as a 'deliberate' security gesture by US protection consultant Stan Kephart, but not for any sinister reason - rather it was probably routine communication between the two men.
6. How was the gun removed from scene?
Robinson is understood to have carried out his kill with a Mauser 98 bolt action rifle, a popular choice with long-range snipers. It was also a smart choice as the spent cartridge remains inside the gun chamber, making it easier to conceal evidence of a fired shot.
The last thing Robinson wanted was a brass shell falling off the roof from where he is believed to have been stationed.
However, the weapon was around 40 in long: not easily concealed. Footage prior to the shooting shows Robinson walking with an obvious limp - it appears he had the weapon stuffed down his trousers. However, CCTV from afterthe shooting shows Robinson sprinting across a rooftop and jumping to the ground. So where was the gun?
We know that Robinson then left the weapon wrapped in a towel in nearby woods, but how did he get it there? The obvious theory is that he managed to disassemble the rifle extremely quickly before putting the constituent parts in the black bag he appears to be carrying as he flees the scene.
Online sleuths questioned how Robinson could have broken the gun down so quickly.
7. What happens in Valhalla?
In a bizarre ending to his press conference after Kirk’s death, Trump-appointed FBI director Kash Patel addressed the late campaigner directly: ‘Rest now, brother. We have the watch, and I’ll see you in Valhalla.’ Initially, it seemed like an innocuous line from a Hindu unlikely to meet the Christian in the eternal resting place of Viking warriors.
However, pictures of Tyler Robinson in his college room showed a screensaver on his computer depicting Goat Island in New Zealand. Goat Island has a tourist resort called Valhalla. Some excitable conspiracists went into meltdown over this coincidence, even falsely suggesting that Kirk was still alive and on Goat Island.
8. Will Robinson get the death penalty?
‘I do not take this decision lightly,’ said Utah County attorney Jeff Gray as he confirmed the prosecution would be seeking the death penalty for Robinson.
On Tuesday, Tyler Robinson appeared in court for the first time via video link from Utah County Jail. Dressed in a green vest to prevent him self-harming, the suspect confirmed his name before being charged with aggravated murder and six other charges including two counts of obstructing justice and committing homicide knowing children were present.
If he is found guilty, a judge will have to decide whether he is to be put to death or serve life imprisonment. His age as well as his mental health will serve as potentially mitigating factors, though the severity of his crime in the eyes of those on the Right cannot be underestimated. Many on the American Right believe that if found guilty, he can and must be executed as quickly as possible.
9. Was Kirk killed by a curse?
In a truly bizarre twist, it emerged last week that two days prior to the assassination a reporter for the feminist website Jezebel had paid a freelance witch via the online marketplace Etsy to place a 'curse' on Charlie Kirk.
The article, which described Kirk as a 'far-Right misogynist', was intended as a bit of fun but had senior editors scrambling to distance themselves from the 'heinous' murder when Kirk was shot less than 48 hours later. The article has since been removed from its website.