The suspect in custody over the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk dropped out of college after just one semester – despite receiving a presidential scholarship, Daily Mail has learned.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was detained Thursday night following a 33-hour manhunt to catch the killer who gunned down the 31-year-old Donald Trump ally at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Robinson’s motive remains unclear but he had allegedly engraved bizarre messages reading ‘Hey Fascist! Catch!’, ‘If you read this you are Gay, LMAO’ and ‘Oh Bella ciao Bella ciao Bella ciao’ onto bullets found with the murder weapon.
Robinson is currently in his third year on the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George, the Utah System of Higher Education confirmed.
But, prior to this, he briefly enrolled at Utah State University. A spokesperson told the Daily Mail he attended the college for one semester in 2021.
Robinson had been given a presidential scholarship to the sum of $32,000 to attend the school, according to a video posted on Facebook in March 2021.
In the video, Robinson is seen celebrating as he proudly reads the letter to his family.
‘Congratulations, you have been selected to receive the resident presidential scholarship from Utah State University,’ he says.
‘The scholarship is available for four years or eight semesters.’ His family is heard cheering wildly.
Suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, celebrating getting a presidential scholarship to Utah State University, where he went for one semester, in a video from 2021
It is not clear why he dropped out after just one semester. Questions put to the college by the Daily Mail about a potential disciplinary record went unanswered.
But four years after the celebratory moment, Robinson allegedly shot and killed Kirk.
Robinson was taken into custody around 10pm local time Thursday in southern Utah following a tip-off from the suspect’s father.
At a press conference Friday morning, Utah Governor Spencer Cox began his remarks by declaring: ‘We got him.’
He said that investigators learned from Robinson’s family that he had become more political in recent times, and had recently expressed his dislike for Kirk, describing him to his family as ‘full of hate’.
Cox said that casings from the weapon used to kill Kirk were found to have several anti-fascist messages engraved on them, including one referencing the Italian anti-fascist song Bella Ciao.
One engraving read ‘Hey Fascists, Catch!’, and another read ‘If You Read This You Are Gay LMAO’, Cox said.
Robinson lives in a $600,000 six-bedroom home in Washington, Utah – about 260 miles south of Kirk’s assassination in Orem.
He will face the death penalty if convicted.
‘Congratulations, you have been selected to receive the resident presidential scholarship from Utah State University,’ he proudly said while reading off the letter to family
Four years later, his father would turn him into the FBI as the alleged shooter
Robinson was enrolled as a student at Utah State University for one semester in 2021, the school told Daily Mail
Robinson’s arrest comes after a manhunt for the suspect stretched to over a day and a half, with officials previously offering a reward of $100,000 for information leading to his capture.
Surveillance footage had been released showing a figure on top of a roof leaping from a building and sprinting into a nearby neighborhood after Kirk was shot from around 200 yards away.
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Who was Charlie Kirk? MAGA firebrand with millions of followers shot at his own college event
The conservative commentator was hit by a single bullet while speaking to a crowd at the public university in Orem on Wednesday afternoon.
Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings mere seconds before he was struck.
The father-of-two, known for his fierce MAGA views and thrilling debates with college kids across the country, collapsed immediately.
He was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Prior to Robinson’s arrest, multiple other people were detained – then let go.
Initially, a ‘person of interest’ was said to be in custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting, Cox announced Wednesday evening.
However, they were later released, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed.
‘The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,’ Patel said in a statement.
Pictured: The mugshot of Tyler Robinson after he was taken into custody Thursday night
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Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve, with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months. The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in May.
President Donald Trump led tributes to the late political commentator. ‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
‘He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’
The President has ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening at 6pm EST in honor of Kirk.
