Charlie Kirk murder suspect appeared to confess to killing on Discord, company says

Just hours before Tyler Robinson was arrested for allegedly killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the 22-year-old appeared to take responsibility for the shooting in a message to friends on the chat platform Discord, a company spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Monday.

"Hey guys, I have bad news for you all," read a message from an account that allegedly belonged to Robinson, according to the spokesperson and a law enforcement source. "It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this."

The messages were first reported by The Washington Post.

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00:00Charlie Kirk motor suspect appeared to confess to killing on Discord, company says.

00:05Just hours before Tyler Robinson was arrested for allegedly killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk,

00:11the 22-year-old appeared to take responsibility for the shooting in a message to friends on the chat platform Discord,

00:17a company spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Monday.

00:21Hey guys, I have bad news for you all.

00:24Read a message from an account that allegedly belonged to Robinson,

00:27according to the spokesperson and a law enforcement source.

00:31It was me at UVU yesterday.

00:33I'm sorry for all of this.

00:35The messages were first reported by the Washington Post.

00:38The messages came toward the end of a nearly two-day-long manhunt after Kirk was fatally shot

00:43during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

00:47Utah Governor Spencer Cox said Robinson confessed to his father.

00:51Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night.

00:54FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday.

00:56Over the preceding day, Patel ordered the release of half a dozen surveillance photos of the suspected shooter

01:02and asked the public for help solving the case, which drew nationwide attention

01:07and sparked new worries about the specter of political violence.

01:10While the FBI looked for leads, according to two law enforcement sources,

01:15Robinson and his friends bantered about the shooting in a more than 20-person group on Discord.

01:20The platform is popular among gamers.

01:22The Discord spokesperson said an internal investigation by the company found no evidence

01:27that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.

01:31At least three friends asked Robinson if he was the shooter,

01:35saying the photos released by the FBI looked like him, the law enforcement sources said.

01:40He did not seem to refute it.

01:42In one exchange, the sources said a friend appeared to tease Robinson by quipping that he should avoid McDonald's,

01:47where accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione was caught with a manifesto,

01:53a gun, and a fake ID late last year.

01:56Whatever you do don't go to a McDonald's anytime soon, the friend wrote,

02:00according to the law enforcement sources.

02:03The account appearing to belong to Robinson responded,

02:05better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around.

02:10Before the arrest, messages from the account belonging to Robinson appeared to suggest

02:15he planned to turn himself into authorities, the Discord spokesperson confirmed.

02:20One message read,

02:21I'm surrendering through a sheriff friend in a few moments.

02:24Thanks for all the good times and laughs.

02:27You've all been so amazing.

02:28Thank you all for everything.

02:30Robinson was later taken into custody on aggravated motor,

02:34obstruction, and firearm charges.

02:36Cox says the state will seek the death penalty.

02:38Robinson could make his first caught appearance Tuesday afternoon,

02:43after officials file formal charges.

02:45Christopher Ballard, chief of staff for the Utah County Attorney's Office, has said.

02:50Law enforcement sources told CBS News that he was arrested after Robinson's father saw the FBI's images

02:56and confronted his son.

02:58Robinson admitted to being the person in the photos,

03:01but when his father encouraged him to turn himself in,

03:04Robinson said he would rather die by suicide, the sources said.

03:07His father then called a youth pastor to help calm Robinson down,

03:12but the pastor, a caught security officer, also called the U.S. Marshal Service.

Charlie Kirk murder suspect appeared to confess to killing on Discord, company says

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