Robinson appeared quiet and somber when he turned himself in alongside his parents last Thursday at the Washington County Sheriff’s office. This occurred a day after Kirk was tragically shot and killed at Utah Valley University, as stated by Sheriff Nate Brooksby.

“He didn’t want a large SWAT presence at his parents’ home or his apartment,” explained the sheriff, who was only involved in the surrender and not the larger investigation. “He was genuinely afraid of being shot by law enforcement.”

Parents said their son became more political

Robinson’s mother informed investigators that over the past year, her son had shifted significantly to the left politically and became more supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, according to Gray.

She recognized him when authorities released an image of the suspect, and the parents confronted him. At that point, Robinson expressed suicidal thoughts, Gray mentioned.

The family managed to encourage him to meet with a retired sheriff’s deputy who is a family friend. This individual successfully persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor noted.

Robinson detailed movements after the shooting

In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote about planning to get his rifle from his “drop point,” but that the area was “locked down.”

The texts, which Robinson later told his partner to delete, did not include timestamps, leaving it unclear how long after the shooting Robinson sent the messages.

“To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote.