Angenette Levy Breaks Down Tyler Robinson's New Lawyer, Leaked Texts, and the Kirk Investigation
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Angenette Levy Breaks Down Tyler Robinson's New Lawyer, Leaked Texts, and the Kirk Investigation
Angenette Levy walks through the latest developments in the Charlie Kirk assassination case, from the appointment of Tyler Robinson's defense attorney to newly revealed text messages that prosecutors say amount to a confession. She examines Katherine Nester's history representing accused killer Kouri Richins, breaks down FBI Director Kash Patel's sworn testimony on Discord chats and possible accomplices, and brings in Utah defense attorney Sky Lazaro to weigh the strength of the evidence, the odds of federal charges, and what a death penalty case against a 22-year-old actually requires. Erika Kirk's raw words of grief and forgiveness toward her husband's alleged killer sit alongside the disjointed exchange between Robinson and his roommate. Levy questions whether those messages tell the whole story and previews what happens when Robinson returns to court.
It has been a little more than two weeks since Charlie Kirk's life was taken by an assassin's bullet. One minute Kirk was speaking to a large crowd on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and the next he was gone, shot in the neck. His wife, Erika Kirk, said a doctor told her that Kirk died instantly. At his memorial service, tens of thousands attended, and a video of Kirk's final moments played for the crowd.
Not long after that footage was recorded, Kirk's life ended and a manhunt began. There were false starts, but investigators eventually identified a possible shooter through surveillance video. Photos were released, and a mother three hours south of Orem, in St. George, recognized the young man as her son. She explained that over the previous year her son, Tyler Robinson, had become more political and had shifted further left, growing more supportive of gay and trans rights. He had begun dating his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders, which led to tense conversations with family members, especially his father. Robinson's parents and a family friend ultimately convinced him to turn himself in, and the manhunt ended after 33 hours.
Text Messages That Read Like a Confession
The Utah County prosecutor filed charges against Tyler Robinson for aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, and witness tampering. County Attorney Jeff Gray read text messages he said Robinson sent to his roommate and romantic partner, who was transitioning from male to female.
On September 10, 2025, the roommate received a message from Robinson telling them to look under his keyboard, where they found a note reading: 'I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it.' A photo of that note was later recovered by police.
According to the charging document, the exchange that followed went like this:
Roommate: 'What? You're joking, right?'
Robinson: 'I am, I am. I'm sorry... I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.'
Roommate: 'You weren't the one who did it, right?'
Robinson: 'I am. I'm sorry.'
Roommate: 'I thought they caught the person.'
Robinson: 'No, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing.'
Robinson went on to describe trying to retrieve a rifle he said had been given to him by his grandfather, worrying about a squad car parked near his drop point, and fretting over how he would explain losing the weapon to his father. He told the roommate to delete the exchange and, later, wrote that he planned to turn himself in because a neighbor was a sheriff's deputy. His final message read, in part: 'Don't talk to the media. Please don't take any interviews or make any comments. If any police ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and stay silent.'
Erika Kirk's Words of Grief and Forgiveness
Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow and now CEO of Turning Point USA, the organization her husband founded at 18, spoke at his memorial service about the moment she saw her husband's body.
'On the afternoon of September 10th, I arrived at a Utah hospital to do the unthinkable, to look directly at my husband's murdered body,' she said. 'I saw the wound that ended his life. I felt everything you would expect to feel. I felt shock. I felt horror and a level of heartache that I didn't even know existed.'
In an unexpected moment, Erika Kirk then offered words of mercy toward her husband's alleged killer. 'That young man, that young man on the cross, our savior said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him.'
Tyler Robinson Gets a Lawyer
At Robinson's initial court appearance, he did not have an attorney. That has now changed. The county commission approved hiring Katherine Nester to represent him. Nester and her law partner also represent Kouri Richins, the children's book author accused of murdering her husband by poisoning him in March 2022.
Utah criminal defense attorney Sky Lazaro explained that Nester previously worked for the federal defenders office before moving into private practice, and that she has now taken court appointments in both the Richins and Robinson cases. According to Lazaro, the Utah County public defenders office determined it did not have the resources to handle the Robinson case and needed separately funded, court-appointed counsel instead.
Because prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty, Robinson's defense must be qualified under Utah's death-penalty counsel standards, meaning Nester will need co-counsel and mitigation experts. Lazaro predicted the case will be costly and lengthy, with a trial unlikely before late 2026 or even 2027.
Robinson is expected to make his first court appearance with Nester on Monday. Lazaro said she expects little more than a status update: confirmation that Nester has accepted the appointment, a discussion of discovery, and scheduling of next steps.
Kash Patel: Examining Every Facet
The investigation into Kirk's assassination is continuing well beyond Robinson's arrest. FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the bureau is pursuing every lead. 'As the director of the FBI, I am committed to ensuring the investigation into Charlie Kirk's assassination is thorough and exhaustive, pursuing every lead to its conclusion,' Patel wrote. He listed a series of angles under review, including the location the shot was fired from, the possibility of accomplices, the text-message exchange, Discord chats, the trajectory and bullet impact, how the weapon was transported, hand gestures observed near Kirk at the time of the shooting, and visitors to Robinson's residence in the days before September 10.
Patel also addressed online claims about a plane that allegedly turned off its transponder after departing an airport near the shooting site. After interviewing the pilot and consulting the FAA, the bureau determined the transponder had not been switched off; incomplete flight-tracking data in a rural area created the appearance of a gap.
Discord Chats and the Search for Accomplices
Testifying before Congress, Patel was asked about reports that the FBI is investigating a broader network of people who may have had knowledge of Robinson's plans, including participants in a Discord chat Robinson reportedly used. Patel said investigators had already gone through legal process to preserve that data for potential prosecution and confirmed that public reports the chat had roughly 20 additional users understated the real number. 'It's a lot more than that. We're running them all down,' Patel testified, adding that the bureau is investigating every person connected to that chat.
A Defense Attorney's Read on the Evidence
Sky Lazaro told Crime Fix the text exchange between Robinson and his roommate stood out to her as unusual and disjointed, with visible gaps suggesting the charging document contains only a partial snapshot of the full conversation. She said she expects further discovery to produce the complete text history, along with any communications on other platforms investigators may not have had at the time charges were filed.
Even so, Lazaro was blunt about the messages' weight as evidence. 'If those can be authenticated... those are really, really damaging text messages. I don't know how you get past them,' she said.
On the roommate's cooperation, Lazaro said it would be unusual for prosecutors to bring obstruction charges simply because the roommate did not immediately go to police, as long as they cooperated truthfully once investigators made contact. She said that pattern is common in cases involving partners, spouses, or close friends of a suspect.
Could Federal Charges Follow?
Lazaro said she sees no clear basis for federal charges against Robinson at this point, since there is no indication he crossed state lines or that a broader conspiracy involving interstate activity exists. She noted that federal prosecutors would need something establishing federal jurisdiction, such as evidence of a conspiracy or out-of-state funding, neither of which has surfaced publicly. Given that Utah County has aggressively pursued death-penalty cases and appears committed to prosecuting Robinson at the state level, Lazaro said federal charges are unlikely unless that changed.
What's Next
Tyler Robinson remains held in the Utah County Jail without bail. He is due back in court on Monday for his first appearance with Katherine Nester as his attorney, with the broader FBI investigation continuing in parallel.
