It was Tyler Robinson’s mother who recognized him as the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s murder

More details about Tyler Robinson’s arrest have been coming to light. Recently, it has been revealed that Robinson’s mother was the first person to recognize her son as the individual being sought in the manhunt.

On Sept. 10, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck. That incident started a much-needed conversation about political commentators. The discussion centered on how political debate should never descend into violence, whether people celebrating Kirk’s death should have a place in polite society, and finally Kirk’s legacy should be viewed. But behind the scenes, there was an intense manhunt for his murderer.

The FBI initially arrested the wrong person, and for a moment there was concern about whether they would actually be able to catch the real suspect. All that was available was a picture of a man fleeing the scene, whom authorities had strong reason to believe was the one who shot Kirk. Much like the case of Luigi Mangione, a reward was soon offered, with private citizens joining in. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman even offered $1.2 million to whoever helped turn in the suspect. A promise that Ackman has since reiterated that he still intends to fulfill.

A number of people have reached out and/or posted expressing concern that Tyler Robinson’s father may collect a $1.2m reward for turning in his son, which inspires a few thoughts.

First, in order for rewards to be effective in finding criminals, the rewards need to be paid even…

— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) September 13, 2025

President Donald Trump was the first to formally announce that the suspect had been caught, doing so just five minutes after he learned the news on Fox News. At the time, the assumption was that Robinson was an ardent supporter of Democrats and that he killed Kirk because of the inflammatory things he often said about minorities. But since then, the findings have grown more complex — while he is believed to come from a Republican family, there are also reports that he had been in a relationship with someone who is trans.

Currently, Trump is adamant that Robinson should receive the death penalty. Multiple reports have confirmed that it was Robinson’s own family who eventually reported him to the authorities — so talk of a possible reward may be the least of their concerns in this case. People reports that the first person to recognize the suspect in the picture was Robinson’s mother, who grew instantly worried when she saw the released images online.

Robinson’s mother has not been identified publicly, but reportedly the first thing she did upon seeing the photos was call him to check on him. Robinson apparently told her that he was homesick. She then showed the photos to Robinson’s father, who agreed the suspect looked like their son.

Robinson’s mother later shared with authorities that over the years Robinson had grown increasingly “political” and that his views had begun diverging from those of his family. In a further revelation, a roommate allegedly asked Robinson why he shot Kirk, to which Robinson replied, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

Robinson had allegedly planned the shooting of Kirk for over a week in preparation for his arrival in Utah. Apparently, the rifle he used had been handed to him by his father as a gift at an earlier time.