A Utah court has ordered the man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk to remain in custody without bail as detectives release additional details about evidence collected near the site. The man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk is being held without bond at Utah County Jail. A state judge ordered the custody on Friday. Court records acquired by CNN show Judge Shawn Rice Howell signed the injunction against Tyler Robinson.
The filings show that Robinson has no past misdemeanor or felony convictions. He is being jailed on multiple first counts. These include aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. Formal charges have not yet been filed.
Authorities also confirmed the discovery of the purported weapon. Source: Flickr FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said investigators found a high-powered bolt-action rifle in a wooded area where the suspect ran. The rifle will be analyzed by the FBI Laboratory. Investigators also took footwear impressions, a palm print, and forearm imprints for study. Earlier morning, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced fresh details about the probe. He said ammunition discovered near the recovered firearm bore inscribed phrases. At a news conference, Cox read the inscriptions aloud. He observed that the phrases seemed out of the ordinary. Later, experts said they were inspired by online culture.
Digital culture expert Jamie Cohen, a professor at Queens College, said the engravings made references to online jokes, video games, and memes. Memes frequently link to other memes, which can obfuscate their meaning, he clarified. Cohen remarked, “Memes contain multitudes,” adding that in order to make them shareable, the context is frequently removed. In isolation, he said, the messages might not mean anything.
The meaning of the carvings remains a mystery to investigators. The sentences paint a complicated picture that may or may not indicate meaning, ranging from cultural allusions to video game orders. There was an arrow pattern that seemed to mimic a controller input used in “Helldivers 2,” where players can call in a bomb attack. One more line: “Hey, fascist!” Although analysts point out that it also mirrors a line from the same game, in which players fight fascists in a humorous manner, “Catch!” might be read as a direct remark. The inscription “Bella Ciao” alludes to a World War II Italian resistance song that was later adopted by anti-fascist groups across the globe.
The furry subculture gave rise to another etching, “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” which is well known for being a spoof of awkward online courting. Whether these messages indicate a motivation has not been verified by authorities. The evidence is still being examined by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI. Jamie Cohen, who studies internet culture, said the use of these inscriptions may suggest Robinson was communicating in ways familiar to online communities. “Memes are supposed to be read by meme audiences,” he explained. “They’re meant for in-group communication.”
