The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk is being held without bail : NPR

Scott Detrow, host:

The man accused of having killed Charlie Kirk is detained without surety in a utah prison today. Tyler Robinson, twenty-two, would have drawn the unique shot from a high power rifle that killed conservative activists and the media personality known for his call to young people on Wednesday. The police arrested Robinson on Thursday evening. Steve Futterman joins us from the outside of Utah County prison in Spring Fork, Utah. Hi, Steve.

Steve Futterman, Byline: Hi, Scott.

Detrow: Robinson is therefore detained where you are now. The officials said yesterday that they did not believe that someone else was involved. Is this always the case?

Futterman: Yes, yes. However, like any investigation, the authorities want to go through things like Robinson’s mobile phone, all the computers he used and they want to speak with those who knew him. Yesterday, yesterday, officials said that Robinson had expressed negative opinions on Charlie Kirk, and that one of these unused sockets had the words, hey fascist, wrestling, written on it. But if the reason was political, as it seems for some, those responsible want to know if there was something that pushed Robinson on the edge.

Detow: Last night, we heard the widow of Charlie Kirk. Tell us about it.

Futterman: Yes, it’s true. Erika Kirk spoke on a live flow for about 15 minutes. She talked about Phoenix of the same studio that Kirk has often used for her podcasts. Now, sometimes his voice crashed. She stamped her eyes several times, but her main message seemed to be that Charlie Kirk’s movement will continue.

(Soundbit of archived registration)

Erika Kirk: If you thought my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. To all those who listen to this evening through America this evening, the movement that my husband has built will not die. This is not the case. I refuse to let it happen. He will not die.

Futterman: And Erika Kirk blamed what she called criminals for the death of her husband.

Detrow: And while the police try to understand the motivations of Tyler Robinson, the people who knew him, the people of his hometown, take it all. What do we hear?

Futterman: Yes, absolutely. He lived with his parents in the small town in the southwest of Utah, with a population of around 30,000 inhabitants. It is not far from the city of St. George. We have not heard, at least at this stage, no neighbor describes him as strange or acting strange. The people who knew him told journalists Robinson were not necessarily one of the cool children in high school, but he was very loved and a good student. Melissa Tait, a neighbor of the Robinson family, told our colleagues from the Kuer member station that she worries events like this increasingly normal.

Melissa was: it is everywhere – each community, each city, each state. It’s going to be the neighbor of everyone, everyone’s classmate. It is no longer unusual.

Futterman: And of course, it was Robinson’s father who first confronted his son, telling him that he thought his son was the one who was shown in photos published by the police. Now on the campus of the University of Utah Valley where Kirk was killed, there is a feeling of relief today that someone has been arrested, but Raymond Lopez, a nursing student, says that there is still a lot of concerns.

Raymond Lopez: My and many of our peers – our greatest fear is reprisals or something that happens. The class was postponed until Wednesday. I will say that I signed the petition so that it does not come because I thought it would encourage violence. Unfortunately, I think that’s what happened.

Detrow: So it’s just to say that …

Futterman: now, at Utah University …

Detow: Continue. Pursue.

Futterman: … campus, there is a growing memorial with flowers. And the next event we expect is that Tyler Robinson is officially billed. It’s expected Tuesday. At that time, he made his first appearance in court.

Detow: It’s Steve Futterman in Spring Fork, Utah. Thank you so much.

Futterman: Thank you, Scott.

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