Newly revealed online messages show the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk was casually discussing his daily Wordle score less than an hour before the fatal shooting.
A chilling timeline of messages and violence
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Washington, Utah, has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with the death of the Turning Point USA founder. The shooting occurred on 10 September 2025 at an event on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.
According to a profile by The Washington Post, which reviewed messages and spoke to more than 20 of Robinson's associates, his life was largely lived online. On the morning of the shooting, while en route to the campus, he was in a chatroom discussing that day's Wordle puzzle.
At 11:28 a.m., after arriving at the university, Robinson texted a friend to share that he had solved the puzzle in three attempts. By 11:51 a.m., he allegedly walked onto the campus and headed to the roof of the building where Kirk was due to speak.
At 12:23 p.m., precisely 55 minutes after the Wordle message, Robinson allegedly fired a single shot, striking Kirk in the neck. The moment, captured on video, showed the MAGA influencer slumping backward in his chair.
The portrait of an alleged killer: 'Funny but awkward'
Friends, classmates, and online contacts described Robinson to The Post as an avid gamer with an interest in politics but no strong partisan bias. They said he disliked "hateful people" and "bullies."
Erik Wagner, a former high school friend, described him as "funny but awkward, a person who made himself hard to know." Robinson was remembered as a straight-A student. Later, while training as an electrician at Dixie Technical College in 2021, colleagues said he was mostly solitary, often eating lunch alone.
The report found no evidence in preserved chats that Robinson had mentioned Kirk prior to the attack, though users can delete Discord messages. During the 2020 presidential election, he told a fellow student that both the Republican and Democratic parties had "failed" people, and he did not view either Donald Trump or Joe Biden as a good option.
Interest in guns and a pivotal relationship
In subsequent years, friends noticed Robinson's growing interest in firearms. "He loved his guns, he loved his beer, he hated the government. That's the impression that I got," said one friend he played card games with in 2024.
Around that time, Robinson grew close to a roommate, who authorities said was biologically male and transitioning to female. The pair reportedly entered a romantic relationship. Friends told the Post this roommate increasingly complained about right-wing politicians and anti-trans sentiment in Utah.
In messages allegedly between Robinson and the roommate after the shooting, shared by prosecutors, Robinson stated, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."
Strikingly, 80 minutes after Kirk was shot, Robinson followed up with the same friend he had messaged about Wordle. On Discord, he wrote, "You seen this news?????" and added, "he's reported dead and the footage looks BAD."
Court appearance and ongoing case
Robinson, who has not entered a plea, made his first in-person court appearance last week. His attorneys argued to limit media access to the case. He arrived in court restrained and wearing a dress shirt, tie, and slacks, smiling at family members in the front row.
The Washington Post noted the timing of his mundane Wordle conversation presented "a striking example of the compartmentalization" Robinson displayed in the lead-up to the violent act. Friends insisted that even in the years before, he showed no signs of being capable of such violence, with most of his online history consisting of casual chat, memes, and jokes.
