The man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk is awaiting formal charges

A student at a business school in Utah who was arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk will be formally charged next week, according to the governor. The violent act he committed is seen as a harbinger of upheaval in American politics.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested Thursday night after relatives and a family friend alerted authorities that he was involved in the crime, Governor Spencer Cox said Friday, opening the press conference with the words, “We got him.”

“I want to thank Tyler Robinson's family members who did the right thing in this case and turned him over to law enforcement,” he added.

The arrest ended a 33-hour search for the sole suspect in Wednesday's murder, which President Donald Trump called a “heinous murder.” Kirk was a co-founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA and a loyal ally of Trump.

On Friday evening, investigators collected more forensic evidence from Robinson's apartment in St. George, about 5 miles (eight kilometers) from his parents' home near the Arizona border. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder and other charges, the governor said.

(reuters, pmi)