The cartridge that killed Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last September had three words scratched into it: "Hey Facist! CATCH!" Prosecutors revealed the engraving in new court filings this week, arguing it proves the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder was assassinated specifically because of his political beliefs.
They misspelled "fascist," by the way.
Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old charged with aggravated murder, allegedly spent enough time preparing to engrave a taunt on the bullet but not enough time to run spell-check. DNA analyses now link Robinson to both the suspected murder weapon — a high-powered Mauser Model 98 bolt-action rifle — and the engraving tool used to carve the message, according to the Associated Press. He turned himself in to the local sheriff one day after the September 10, 2025 shooting.
The evidence doesn't stop at the cartridge. Prosecutors introduced a text message Robinson allegedly sent about Kirk: "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out." They also presented a handwritten note Robinson allegedly left for his roommate, Lance Twiggs, who was in a romantic relationship with Robinson and had been considering gender transition around the time of the shooting. The note read: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it."
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, arguing Robinson created a "zone of danger" for thousands of attendees at the outdoor campus event Kirk was headlining when the shot was fired. Robinson's defense team counters that their client "hit the intended target" and therefore didn't endanger anyone else — which is a genuinely remarkable legal argument. The defense is essentially saying: he's too good a shot to deserve the death penalty.
Judge Tony Graf of the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, presided over a five-day preliminary hearing in July where Kirk's family called the evidence "overwhelming." Graf will hear arguments again on September 1 to determine whether the case advances to trial. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
Twiggs, for his part, told investigators in a recorded interview that he had never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. Whether that holds up against the handwritten note prosecutors say Robinson left for Twiggs personally is a question the defense will need to answer with something better than "he never mentioned it."