The young man who allegedly killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk joked that his "sister" had fired the gun while discussing the heinous act in a private chat on the social media network Discord just hours after the incident.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was mocking the search for the gunman and the FBI investigation, while joking about receiving money as a ransom before surrendering to police, according to messages obtained by The New York Times .
Robinson has been arrested and identified as the prime suspect in Kirk's murder.
He showed no signs of remorse in Discord conversations discovered by a former high school classmate.
In fact, Robinson seemed to revel in the attention, exchanging 'memes' with his acquaintances while authorities tried to find the person responsible.
'Tyler killed Charlie!!!!' one user wrote in a group chat on Thursday afternoon, jokingly tagging Robinson. Robinson responded almost immediately: "My Sozia is trying to get me in trouble," he wrote.
These communications took place just hours after the FBI released surveillance footage showing a young man wearing sunglasses and a hat walking down the steps of Utah Valley University, where Kirk had given a speech.
At that point, the suspect was still publicly unidentified, but privately, Robinson was already playing with the truth. The messages, verified by the NYT, depict a young man fully aware of the investigation and mocking it.
When another user joked about handing Robinson over for the FBI's $100,000 bounty, he responded sarcastically: "Only if I get a cut of the pay."
The Discord chat, made up of about 20 users who knew each other from high school or online communities, became a chilling window into the suspect's mindset behind the shooting.
While public tributes to Kirk were flooding conservative media and President Trump was issuing national proclamations in his honor, the accused murderer was behind a screen, making jokes about everything from red-state politics to fake deaths.
"I'm actually Charlie Kirk," Robinson wrote at one point. "I wanted to get out of politics, so I faked my death, now I can live the life of my dreams in Kansas."
Kirk, 31, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead Wednesday during an event where he was discussing with young people, which had attracted both supporters and protesters.
Authorities say the gunman climbed to the roof of a building several hundred yards from the scene and fired a single, fatal shot before fleeing the campus.
Police say Robinson later implied or confessed to the crime and ultimately surrendered in southwestern Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the scene.
His family urged him to turn himself in after learning of his involvement. Local prosecutors are expected to file formal charges on Tuesday, including aggravated murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
