Twenty-two year old arrested for the murder of Charlie Kirk
Following a joint press conference and other reporting we know that last evening, about 33 hours after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU), law enforcement took the suspect into custody.
The suspect’s name is easy to locate, but I’m going to follow the trend of not giving the coward the notoriety he was looking for. Accordingly, the mugshot I’ve posted is a profile view offered only to show how clearly miserable his existence now is.
The suspect’s father, a veteran law enforcement officer, reportedly identified his son as the suspect after photos were circulated and then notified law enforcement and held him secure in the family home until he was taken into custody.
The suspect, a 22-year-old white male, had reportedly attended UVU for one semester in 2021. The evidence against him includes video from several video cameras on campus and the surrounding area. The video tracked his movements as he arrived on campus hours before the shooting driving a vehicle identified as belonging to him. The video captured him ascending a stairwell and then on the roof of the building the shot was fired from. Video from the surrounding area captured the suspect limping away after the murder.
Evidence also includes a Mauser bolt action rifle found secreted in a wooded area a short distance from the scene. There are reportedly a palm print, a foot print, and other forensic evidence that have been recovered during the investigation which will be compared to the suspect.
Social media messages the suspect shared with a close friend described how he had hidden the rifle used to kill Kirk in a wooded area wrapped in a towel.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox praised the suspect’s family and the close friend for cooperating with law enforcement and for turning the suspect in. Governor Cox also praised the public’s response to the murder, pointing out that the Utah public did not respond with violence but instead responded with vigils and prayer.
Motive behind the murder
Little has been shared about the suspect’s ideology or motive for killing Kirk. However, the family has reportedly told law enforcement that the suspect had become more “political” recently and had spoken disparagingly about Kirk and the event at UVU.
One indication of the suspect’s motive comes from the reported etchings on the bullet casings recovered from the rifle used in the killing. The suspect had clearly been dangerously influenced by the rhetoric that has been used to demonize conservatives as “fascists,” Nazi’s, and other extremist terms meant to dehumanize and make attacks on conservatives more likely.
- The fired casing had the inscription, “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” According to Know Your Meme website, “Notices Bulges” is an on-line trolling phrase used by the “Furry” community. OwO is a social media phrase referring to a “cute, surprised, excited facial expression.”
- The first unfired round had the following inscription: “Hey fascist, catch!”
- The second unfired round had the following inscription: “oh bella ciao, bella cio, bella ciao, ciao, ciao.” The phrase is part of an anti-fascist resistance anthem from World War II.
- The third unfired round had the following inscription: “If you read this, you are gay.”
Charges expected early next week
According to Governor Cox, the suspect will be charged early next week by the local county attorney and make his first court appearance at that time.
Utah is one of three states that allows for the death penalty by firing squad. Oh, the irony.
Minnesotans should take note of the decision to allow the local prosecutor to lead the prosecution. This differs from recent high-profile cases in Hennepin County (the murder of Representative Melissa Hortman, and the Annunciation School shooting) in which the US Attorney’s Office has assumed the lead role in prosecuting the suspects over the Hennepin County Attorney. There is little doubt these decisions, in both Minnesota and Utah, have been made based on confidence, or lack thereof, in the local county attorney to properly prosecute the suspects.