Brian Entin Investigates Charlie Kirk Assassination: Tyler Robinson's Trans Roommate Cooperating, FBI Used Facial Recognition Technology

Enjoying this? Share it with someone who needs to see it.

Up Next

Angenette Levy Breaks Down Tyler Robinson's Arrest in the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Angenette Levy Breaks Down Tyler Robinson's Arrest in the Assassination of Charlie Kirk

22:06

Angenette Levy Investigates Tyler Robinson's Discord Confession to Assassinating Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University

Angenette Levy Investigates Tyler Robinson's Discord Confession to Assassinating Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University

19:57

Tyler Robinson Charged with Assassination of Turning Point Founder Charlie Kirk as Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty

Tyler Robinson Charged with Assassination of Turning Point Founder Charlie Kirk as Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty

2:59:51

Brian Entin Investigates Charlie Kirk Assassination: Tyler Robinson's Trans Roommate Cooperating, FBI Used Facial Recognition Technology

Brian Entin reports from Utah Valley University where Charlie Kirk was assassinated, revealing new details about the investigation. Utah Governor confirms the alleged assassin Tyler Robinson's roommate and romantic partner is transitioning from male to female and has been cooperating with authorities, while Robinson himself refuses to cooperate with police. The investigation reveals Robinson came from a conservative family but was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology, spent significant time in dark corners of Reddit and gaming culture, and was identified partly through FBI facial recognition technology from Clearview AI that scans over 70 billion public images.

Categories: Investigation
September 14, 2025

New Developments in the Investigation

Brian Entin reports from outside the memorial at Utah Valley University where Charlie Kirk was assassinated. New information continues to emerge about the investigation into the shooting that shocked the nation. The governor of Utah confirmed that the alleged assassin Tyler Robinson's romantic partner and roommate is trans and was transitioning from male to female. Additionally, Entin confirmed through his sources that Tyler Robinson is not cooperating with police in the investigation.

The crime scene at Utah Valley University is beginning to be cleaned up as officials prepare to reopen the area and resume classes. People who were present during the assassination are now being allowed to return to collect belongings they left behind when they fled—book bags, strollers, and personal items from the more than 3,000 people who were there. Many of these individuals are visibly traumatized as they return to the scene.

The Roommate's Cooperation

The governor of Utah confirmed that Tyler Robinson's roommate, described as a romantic partner who is male transitioning to female, has been incredibly cooperative with investigators. The governor emphasized that this person had no idea the attack was being planned and was shocked when it happened. Law enforcement sources corroborated this information, repeatedly emphasizing how cooperative the roommate has been throughout the investigation.

In stark contrast, Tyler Robinson himself has not been cooperating with police or investigators. The governor stated, "All the people around him are cooperating," highlighting Robinson's refusal to assist in the investigation. The governor confirmed reports that the roommate was indeed Robinson's boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female, information that the FBI has verified. This person did not have any knowledge of the planned attack and was shocked upon learning about it.

Background and Ideology

According to the governor, Tyler Robinson comes from a conservative family, but his ideology was very different from his family's values. This ideological divide is now a key part of the investigation. The governor stated clearly that investigators believe Robinson "was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology."

The investigation has also revealed Robinson's immersion in gaming culture. Some of the inscriptions found on the gun used in the assassination connect back to video games. The governor noted there was "a lot of gaming going on," and friends have confirmed that Robinson was deeply involved in "a deep dark internet Reddit culture and other dark places of the internet."

Despite this troubling trajectory, Robinson was apparently intelligent. The governor confirmed that he scored a 34 on the ACT and had a full ride scholarship to a university, but didn't even last a semester before dropping out. The governor posed a critical question: "We need to understand that and we need to figure out how to stop it."

A Family's Devastation

The question of how someone from what appears to be a good family could commit such an act haunts the investigation. Producers and reporters have been talking to family friends in Washington, Utah, about three and a half hours from Salt Lake City in the southern corner of Utah, not far from Las Vegas. By all indications, this was a nice family that did the right thing when their son confessed to them.

According to investigators, when Robinson confessed to his father, they went together to a family friend who was a law enforcement veteran with apparently 27 years of experience. Together, they facilitated Robinson turning himself in to police.

A neighbor who lives near the parents described them as hardworking, good parents who were very close-knit and did everything together. The neighbor expressed shock, saying she didn't see Robinson as "that kind of kid." She attributed the transformation to social media, friends he associated with, and mental health issues, noting that "a lot of the crap that comes off of social media has a lot to do with your mental health."

Law Enforcement Perspective

Entin spoke with the Utah County Sheriff and Under Sheriff, whose office responded to the shooting initially and where Robinson is now being held in the Utah County jail. The sheriff confirmed that Charlie Kirk was not wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the assassination, though it likely wouldn't have mattered since he was shot in the neck.

The sheriff described the emotional toll on the community and the nation, calling the attack "a big blow." Regarding social media's influence on young people, the Under Sheriff stated, "The social media is just not good for the young, I don't think. I'm probably old school, but it just really hurts them. They get in these groups and it's kind of bad."

Both law enforcement officials acknowledged the deep political divisions in America. When asked if this could be a moment where things get better, the sheriff responded, "I think it could. I think we have a choice in front of us. We could get better or it could be a moment where we could get worse. I truly hope we get better, but I think there's an element of our society that isn't on board with that, that they would like to keep this going, that the hate, the vitriol, it is just pouring in over someone's death."

The 33-Hour Manhunt

During the 33 hours when the manhunt was underway, the entire country was on edge. The sheriff described non-stop work, praising the sheriff's department and all law enforcement in the valley. "Everybody just came together and for 33 hours it was no sleep and go to work," he said. Within approximately 15 minutes of the shooting, 300 officers arrived on scene, many leaving the gym in their gym clothes or coming from time with their families while off duty, jumping in their vehicles, putting on their battle gear, and getting to work.

FBI Director Kash Patel released a statement noting that against all law enforcement recommendations, they demanded video footage and enhanced stills of the suspect be released to the public. Robinson's father told law enforcement that he recognized his son in that released video. The sheriff praised the father's courage, saying it had to be "the hardest thing they've ever done in their life," while acknowledging it took tremendous courage and that the father absolutely did the right thing. This action drastically changed the lives of two families.

Facial Recognition Technology

Entin reported early on that Tyler Robinson was on the FBI's radar before his father came forward. While the father seeing the photo or video and recognizing his son got the ball rolling, Robinson was already on a list of possible suspects. Investigators compiled this list through multiple methods, including running license plates of everyone who had been on or near the campus and using facial recognition technology.

The FBI uses facial recognition software that could one day be as important as DNA in solving crimes. The technology allows investigators to input a surveillance image into AI software that searches through billions of images on the internet and social media to identify individuals. In this investigation, the FBI used software from a company called Clearview AI.

Entin spoke with the CEO of Clearview AI, who confirmed that facial recognition was used in the case. While he couldn't confirm the sequence of events, he acknowledged that Clearview AI has a facial recognition contract with the FBI and is "the only open-source facial recognition company in the United States." The company has over 70 billion publicly accessed images in its database.

The CEO explained how the technology works: "You take an image of an individual, let's say in a case, and if they have video or they have an image of someone, they can run it through the software and within seconds it retrieves any images that match the image that they're being looked at." The technology is 99.99% accurate with an extremely high hit rate.

The CEO also revealed that he had been friends with Charlie Kirk since 2015, when Kirk was just 21 years old. He described Kirk as polished, mature beyond his years, a unicorn who was irreplaceable. He expressed the strange feeling of knowing that his technology played a part in the investigation into the murder of his friend.

A Survivor's Story

One of the most meaningful conversations Entin had was with a man named Elliot, who was eight feet from Charlie Kirk when he was shot. Elliot was there with his wife and baby, and he dove on top of his baby out of instinct when he heard the first shot.

Elliot described the experience as "probably one of the most extreme experiences I've ever had in my entire life." He brought his family because these events are usually very safe environments. He remembered being 8 to 10 feet from the stage because he genuinely wanted to ask Kirk a question. His wife asked him to help with their overheated son, and right as he was tending to the baby, someone was discussing the transgender debate and guns.

"Charlie put his mic down on his left-hand side and said, 'You talking about gun violence?' And then right at that moment there was probably like a 3-second pause and it went quiet in the whole area," Elliot recalled. "It was silent enough for us to hear the gunshot. The gunshot sounded like a distance away, man. And when it hit Charlie in his neck, that was a shock."

Elliot described the moment of decision: "You have just a split second to react. Like what do I do? Do I just be the dad that freaks out and runs or do I take a second and pause and realize like, 'Hey, I got to take care of my family.'" He remembered his wife yelling to grab the children, turning to his wife and hunkering her down, grabbing his son and diving on top of them. His father-in-law, described as a strong country man, had absolute terror on his face because all of his children were there.

"That was probably the most scared I've ever been ever. I've never felt terror like that. I thought I was going to get shot in the back," Elliot said. He's having trouble sleeping because when he shuts his eyes, he keeps replaying that image and experience.

Reflections on America

Elliot expressed profound sadness for Charlie Kirk and his family: "That wasn't just a political assassination. That was a murder of a husband and a father. This person had a message to share with people and he was silenced over his opinions. And to me, that is not the country that I want to be a part of. That right there tells me exactly where we're at as a collective. We're so extreme right or so extreme left that we're missing the core fundamental aspects of what's going on here, man."

He noted that there are no winners—not Charlie's family, not Elliot's family, and not the Robinson family, whose son is being charged with assassination and whom they've essentially lost.

When asked if this is a turning point in America, Elliot reflected on how when he was a kid in the 90s, the only school shooting he heard of was Columbine. Now it's become so consistent that society is normalizing it. Teachers are getting trained to open carry, getting defensive tactic classes, and children are learning duck and cover drills.

"Everybody wants to blame it on gun violence, and that's a smoke screen," Elliot argued. "The biggest thing that I keep talking about is we have a mental health crisis going on in our country. A gun doesn't fire and operate unless somebody's operating behind it."

His hope is that Charlie Kirk doesn't just become another statistic that the country shoves under the rug after a few days. He wants this to be a turning point where the country starts focusing on the core aspects of what's actually going wrong.

The Need for Connection and Accountability

Elliot, who is Mormon like much of the community in Utah, discussed how the Robinson family are also active members of the church. He looks at them as brother and sister who share his same values and belief systems, and he cannot imagine how difficult it was for a father to make the decision to turn in his son.

"All it made me realize as a community is we need more spirituality, people taking the time," Elliot said. He clarified he doesn't want to say religion because it has such a negative connotation, but rather finding your own personal spirituality—more self-introspection, meditation, personal development, challenging thinking and thought processes, reaching out to people, trying to find self-help.

Elliot believes in the ripple effect of personal development into all aspects of life, regardless of whether someone is Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, or anything else. "Being able to have a foundation into continually doing personal development, I think that's a lost art that's taking place in our country. Everybody's taking this victim mentality role, man. And I want to see our country be accountable again."

He argued that if Donald Trump could change his slogan to one thing, it would be "Make America Accountable Again." Elliot explained that while he can't help the people, places, and things that come into his life, how he chooses to react is the only thing he can control. He could use this situation to be a victim, but instead he's choosing accountability.

He praised Charlie Kirk's wife as "hands down one of the strongest women" who could be the biggest victim of all, but who got up and said her story doesn't stop with her husband and that she's ready to keep going. "Dude, I'm ready to go with you," Elliot responded. "You've got an army behind you of Americans that want to see changes like this happen."

What's Next

Tyler Robinson's first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, when charges are expected to be formally filed. While there will certainly be a murder charge, the governor has stated multiple times that they plan to seek the death penalty. Utah has the firing squad as a method of execution. More information is expected to come out this week as the investigation continues.

Comments

Be the first to comment on this video.

Video Transcript

Link copied to clipboard!