Mystery over whether Charlie Kirk shooter’s dad claimed $1m reward to turn in his own son: Live updates

Questions have started to grow over whether Tyler Robinson’s father, Matt Robinson, claimed the over $1 million reward for turning in his own son to the FBI.

As authorities searched for the gunman who fled the scene of the shooting on Wednesday, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the killer, and billionaire Bill Ackman offered to add $1,000,000 to the pot.

Robinson was taken into custody on Thursday night in southern Utah after having allegedly confessed to his father, Matt Robinson.

Matt, who runs a family-owned construction company, then contacted authorities and secured his son before he could be taken into custody.

After the news broke, Ackman vowed to uphold his commitment on X, writing, ‘Yes, we will pay the reward if it is earned to whomever the FBI indicates provided the information that led to Tyler’s arrest.

‘First, in order for rewards to be effective in finding criminals, the rewards need to be paid even if the recipient is a crook or worse. That said, in this case, if Tyler’s father is found to have been involved or otherwise acted negligently in contributing to Charlie’s death, civil litigation or criminal prosecution will reverse any unjust compensation.

‘I have also seen reports which suggest that Tyler’s family intends to waive its right to any reward.’

It is unclear whether the FBI has determined that the reward is to be given and whether Robinson’s family would accept it.

This special series goes beyond the headlines. Across multiple episodes we’ll piece together what happened on that day, track the investigation as it unfolds, and examine the forces that led to such an act of violence.

Listeners will hear first-hand accounts from people that were there, analysis from political insiders, and insights from leading experts. Each episode will pull together the facts, the context, and the wider consequences, asking what this tells us about the state of American politics and where it may go next.

Criminologist Dr. Scott Bonn told host Laura Coates on Monday that ‘while we don’t know the specific motive’ of alleged killer Tyler Robinson, 22, ‘I can almost guarantee you it’s rooted in rage in some way, and it’s highly specific.’

‘And I think Charlie Kirk represented something both personal to him as well as symbolic,’ Bonn speculated.

‘And he was striking out at things he had grown to hate and resent. And I’m talking about Christian conservatism and gun ownership.’

UCLA’s director of race and equity, Johnathan Perkins, was placed on leave over a series of posts on the BlueSky social media platform in which he appeared to claim he was ‘happy’ that Kirk was killed.

The posts described Kirk’s murder as a ‘good riddance’ and saw the author argue that it is acceptable not to mourn the MAGA influencer.

‘It is OKAY to be happy when someone who hated you and called for your people’s death dies – even if they are murdered,’ one post read. Another said: ‘You can’t force people to mourn someone who hates us – no matter how he died.’

The Utah County Sheriff’s Department has placed Tyler Robinson, 22, under ‘special watch’ – a set of measures designed, in part, to keep an inmate from hurting himself in custody.

Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine was told this week by Premier Wab Kinew that she could keep her job – so long as she apologizes for slamming Kirk in the wake of his assassination.

Fontaine took to Instagram after Kirk was killed in Utah and reshared a post that branded him a ‘a ‘racist, xenophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, sexist, white nationalist mouthpiece.’

Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last week.

He was arrested late Thursday night after allegedly confessing to his father, Matt Robinson.

Authorities say Robinson held a ‘leftist ideology’ and may have been ‘radicalized’ online before he was arrested for killing the MAGA influencer.

Investigators are working on finding a motive for the attack, Utah’s governor said Sunday, adding that more information may come out once Robinson appears for his initial court hearing.

Cox said Robinson’s romantic partner was transgender, which some politicians have pointed to as a sign the suspect was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views. But authorities have not yet said whether that played a role.

While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they do say his family and friends have been talking.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the agency is investigating ‘a lot more than 20 users’ who were included in an online chat room with alleged Charlie Kirk assassin.

It was leaked last week that Tyler Robinson, 22, was involved in a Discord group chat that allegedly included messages plotting Kirk’s murder ahead of the attack on Utah Valley University’s campus on September 10, 2025.

Discord – a popular messaging platform among gamers – disputes these claims and insists its platform was not used for discussing the attack beforehand.

But Patel says his agency is investigating and interrogating dozens associated with the chat group.

‘We’re also going to be investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat,’ he said.

Sen. Josh Hawley said, ‘It sounds like you’re trying to run down all of that to see if that’s accurate.’

Patel replied, ‘It’s a lot more than that. We’re running them all down. It’s a lot more than 20.’

Beni Rae Harmony announced her resignation from ABC20 Springfield on Monday on social media, claiming she decided to do so after being punished for honoring her friend.

‘Effective immediately, I have resigned from WICS-ABC20 after being SUSPENDED for airing a non-partisan tribute to Charlie Kirk this past Friday,’ Harmony wrote on X alongside a clip of the tribute in question.

During her tribute to Kirk, Harmony spoke through tears as she revealed that the conservative commentator was her ‘first boss’ and ‘mentor.’

According to her LinkedIn, Harmony was a producer and administrator for Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, from August 2021 until February 2022.

Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin Tyler Robinson will make his first court appearence today.

Prosecutors in Utah County are considering several charges against Robinson, the most serious being aggravated murder because it could bring the death penalty if there is a conviction.

Once charges are filed, Robinson is scheduled to appear on camera for a virtual court hearing.

He has been held without bail since his arrest, and it remains unclear whether he has an attorney.

The FBI is investigating social media posts believed to have been made by transgender users who appeared to predict Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting weeks before it happened, according to sources.

‘itd be funny if someone like charlie kirk got shot on september 10th LMAO,’ an X account user named @TallyHallAlbum, posted on September 3.

They went on to appear to make a threat on the President’s life, adding: ‘Donald Trump. December 14th.’

The Utah homeowners who captured Charlie Kirk’s shooter on their neighborhood surveillance camera has spoken out for the first time to ABC4 on the condition of anonymity.

The family, who have lived on the street for decades, captured Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson walking across the road in front of their home before the massacre at Utah Valley University occured.

‘We believe that right before the shooting happened, this is how he entered the college,’ he said.

‘When I looked at my camera, and I first had seen the guy limping, I thought, oh, there’s something wrong with that guy’s leg. I didn’t think nothing of it, but then when my son went through our camera, he noticed it, and he picked up on it right away’ he continued.

He said the shooting profoundly affected the quiet neighborhood where students regularly walk by to get to class.

The camera caught the suspect a second time after the shooting happened, which prompted the neighbor to hand over the footage to ATF, who passed it on to the to the FBI and the SBI.

‘It shows him in that field, because I believe he probably popped up over there, come up the hill from where we feel that the gun was dropped,’ he said of the second post-shooting clip.

‘He ran up there, run over the hill and then run down that path, that dirt path, and that’s where we see him right here, is in the field,’ he explained, pointing and gesturing to the areas he was speaking about.

Outspoken liberal actress Jamie Lee Curtis broke down in tears as she mourned Charlie Kirk as a ‘man of faith’ and compared him to Jesus Christ.

The Oscar winner grew emotional in an appearance this week on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, saying she wanted to bring up Kirk’s assassination ‘because it’s front of mind.’

Curtis initially referred to Kirk as ‘Charlie Crist‘ – confusing him for the former Florida governor – but corrected herself as she said: ‘I just call him Crist, I think, because of Christ, because of his deep belief.’

Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer justified his actions by saying ‘some hatred cannot be negotiated with’, the FBI Director has revealed.

‘I will say what was found in terms of information, a text message exchange, where the suspect specifically stated he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was gonna do that,’ Patel told Fox News.