Brian Entin Investigates Whether Charlie Kirk's Assassin Tyler Robinson Truly Acted Alone
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Brian Entin Investigates Whether Charlie Kirk's Assassin Tyler Robinson Truly Acted Alone
Brian Entin returns to the Utah Valley University courtyard where Charlie Kirk was assassinated to dig into two unresolved threads in the case: whether accused shooter Tyler Robinson really acted without help, and new reporting that the FBI is examining far-left extremist groups for possible ties to the attack. He brings in retired FBI agent Steve Moore to explain how the bureau builds a case against an entire organization, what a text about a wrapped-up rifle can reveal about a suspect's knowledge, and why a cooperating witness suddenly goes silent after meeting a lawyer. Entin also shares new Discord messages reported by the New York Times showing Robinson's reaction in the hours after the shooting, and reflects on the close-knit Utah community mourning Kirk while praying for the accused shooter's family.
Brian Entin reports from Utah Valley University, standing near the courtyard where Charlie Kirk was assassinated. The area, once a sprawling crime scene, is finally being reopened as the school prepares to resume classes this week. But Entin says the reopening doesn't mean the case is close to resolved. Investigators are still working through two major open questions: did accused shooter Tyler Robinson act completely alone, and is there any truth to new reports that federal and state law enforcement are looking into far-left extremist groups in Utah for possible ties to the attack.
Did Tyler Robinson Act Alone?
Utah's governor has publicly stated that authorities believe Robinson acted alone. Entin questions whether that's a genuine conclusion or a strategic statement meant to throw off any wider network under investigation. To get an inside perspective, he turns to Steve Moore, a former FBI agent who spent years investigating domestic extremist groups, including a stint working against white supremacist organizations while stationed in Utah.
FBI Reportedly Investigating Far-Left Extremist Groups
Axios has reported that federal and state law enforcement are examining leftist groups in Utah to determine whether they had advance knowledge of Robinson's plans or provided material support afterward. Moore explains that this kind of investigation starts with finding a group's means of communication, whether that was shortwave radio decades ago or encrypted social media and messaging apps today. Agents typically rely on informants already embedded in a state or community to find an entry point into a closed group.
How the FBI Builds a Case Against an Entire Organization
Moore describes what's known internally as a 100 case, a formal investigation of an entire organization rather than a single suspect. These cases are rare because federal judges are reluctant to authorize them, and the FBI cannot open one without judicial sign-off. Moore says he once ran a 100 case himself, targeting the Aryan Nations, and that at any given time there were typically only two or three such investigations running nationwide.
To open one, agents need real evidence that a group is planning or orchestrating violence, not simply that its members hold disturbing beliefs. Once approved, the case grants investigators broad latitude, including wiretaps on communications and, if warranted, the introduction of a cooperating witness, informant, or undercover agent into the group. The authorization isn't permanent either, according to Moore, requiring renewal from a judge every month or every few months. Moore says that given the early stage of the case, any 100 investigation tied to Kirk's killing would likely be in its earliest procedural steps, and could be shut down quickly if agents don't find evidence of real violent intent.
Weighing the Evidence Against Robinson
Entin asks Moore about Robinson's romantic partner, who authorities say is transitioning and has been described by the governor as incredibly cooperative. Moore says that level of cooperation could mean investigators believe the partner is telling the truth and want to protect that relationship, or it could reflect a witness whose knowledge is being carefully managed. He points to a specific detail as significant: a text message in which Robinson reportedly told a friend the rifle was wrapped up and needed to be picked up. Moore says the absence of any follow-up questions about what rifle or why suggests the recipient already understood exactly what had happened.
A Cooperating Witness's Limited Value
Moore explains that a cooperating witness close to a suspect can be extremely valuable for infiltrating extremist networks, but only up to a point. Once other members of a violent group learn that someone has been cooperating with the FBI, that person's usefulness as an inside source drops sharply. Moore is careful to clarify that any investigation into extremist groups is aimed at organizations that advocate and plan violence, not at LGBTQ people or communities broadly.
Politics, Pressure, and the FBI
Entin asks Moore how agents handle a case that has become as politically charged as this one, with competing claims in the days after the shooting that Robinson was far-right and then that he was far-left. Moore shares a story from his own career investigating the Aryan Nations, when a former member committed a mass shooting at a Jewish community center months after leaving the group. Then-Attorney General Janet Reno reportedly asked Moore why agents hadn't kept following the shooter, and Moore explained that once someone leaves the organization under investigation, agents lose the legal authority to keep monitoring them.
Moore also recalls a supervisor who once pushed to add a wiretap to a case just to make the investigation look more sophisticated, even though agents already had enough information to make an arrest within days. He says pressure from management or public expectation is a constant undercurrent in high-profile cases, even though the vast majority of agents remain focused on the mission rather than optics.
Why Robinson Has Stopped Talking
New reporting indicates the alleged shooter is no longer cooperating with investigators. Moore says that's a familiar pattern once a suspect retains a lawyer, who will typically lay out in graphic detail what a lethal injection sentence would involve in order to convince a client that continuing to talk amounts to signing his own death warrant. Moore notes Utah is one of the few states that still carries out executions by firing squad, and says he once worked a 1984 fugitive case where the subject is still awaiting that sentence.
Life in Utah and the Community's Response
Entin reflects on the atmosphere in Utah, describing residents, including members of the Mormon community, expressing sympathy not only for Charlie Kirk's family but also for the family of the accused shooter, who is also Mormon. Moore, who lived in Utah for a few years while investigating white supremacist groups, agrees that the state carries a distinct sense of community regardless of one's views on the LDS Church.
New Discord Messages Raise Fresh Questions
Entin highlights new reporting from the New York Times describing Discord messages sent in a group chat the day after Kirk's killing. After the FBI released grainy surveillance images of a suspect, an acquaintance tagged Robinson's username and asked if the image was him, attaching a skull emoji. Robinson reportedly replied within a minute, joking that his doppelganger was trying to get him in trouble. Another user in the chat wrote that Robinson had killed Kirk, apparently as a joke. Entin notes that Robinson was not arrested until nearly 34 hours after the shooting, meaning he was reportedly active in the chat well after the attack while still unidentified publicly.
What Comes Next
Entin closes by noting he plans to keep digging into the Discord messages and the broader far-left extremist group investigation as new details emerge. He ends the episode showing sidewalk chalk memorials that have appeared across the Utah Valley University campus in tribute to Charlie Kirk.
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