Posted on 09/14/2025 5:32:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Flicking through his school yearbooks, they have, instead, come to terms with the fact he has become among America's most wanted.
Flicking through his school yearbooks, they have, instead, come to terms with the fact he has become among America's most wanted. Robinson, who came from a hard-working Mormon home, now stares back at America from a grim mugshot.
If found guilty, he could face the death penalty, after his anguished father turned him in to the police. Neighbours and old friends in the heartland of southern Utah have been left reeling, struggling to reconcile the smiling boy-next-door they knew with the man now branded a murderer.
Raised in a God-fearing Republican household, Robinson grew up in the tight-knit city of St. George - a place where families worship, hunt, and raise their children to play by the rules. His childhood was stitched together with comic books, video games and Sunday services.
But authorities say the former Pine View Middle School pupil transformed, steeped in politics, radicalised, and fuelled by a loathing of Kirk - the right-wing firebrand who drew huge crowds across the country.
Now, those he grew up with, Robinson, who knew him as he went from an innocent boy to a suspect killer, have spoken to the Mirror. Their memories are in stark contrast to how the world now views him.
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Jaida Funk, 22, who went to elementary and middle school with the suspect, described Robinson as an excellent student, holding the personality of a teacher’s pet, always on time, respectful, hardworking, and smart.
As reported in the Mirror, she said: “Tyler was just always being a kind, genuine, respectable guy. He was the kind of student that any teacher wanted in his class. Respectful to peers, classmates, friends, adults, and authority figures.
“He was always very sharp and very smart and the type of kid that liked school. I wouldn't say he was popular, but well known, and I say he was quiet but not quiet in a weird way, just quiet enough that he kept himself in his inner circle, but he had the confidence to speak to any teacher, any adult, and the popular kids in the hallway.”
She then added: “He was probably one of the most unlikely of all the kids in the school to carry out what you suspected of carrying out.”
When asked what happened to Robinson to change into a suspected killer, she replied: “I know Charlie's a very bold individual. He's a little bit controversial, some might say, so I don't know if he happened to say something that just really triggered Tyler, and that's kind of what transpired. I don't know if he went through something.
“But from what I know about him from kindergarten through early high school, I just thought of him as maybe being a businessman or like a CEO or being a billionaire by 25, not now a suspected assassin.”
Keaton Brooksby, 22, holds similar views. “It’s really sad that someone with his mind put it to that sort of use,” said the former classmate, who still can’t believe the boy he once sat beside is now accused of pulling the trigger in America’s most shocking political killing in years.
Police say Robinson confided in relatives about Kirk before the shooting, complaining he was “full of hate and spreading hate.” Yet to many, Robinson seemed anything but hateful. Quiet, bookish and clever, he impressed classmates with his command of world affairs. Brooksby remembers a high school lunch when the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks came up. While other kids shuffled their feet, Robinson launched into detail after detail.
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“He gave us a whole spiel on what happened,” Brooksby said. “I just remember thinking, he’s got a lot of information on this for someone who’s 14.”
For a boy so politically aware, Robinson’s public record is almost blank. He registered to vote, but never once cast a ballot. He belonged to no party. If he held convictions, they brewed quietly behind closed doors. His parents, however, are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans – outdoor types with hunting licences and a love of the wilderness that surrounds Utah’s Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. Family photos show Tyler and his two younger brothers smiling with rifles, posing on shooting trips, the all-American picture of a patriotic household.
The boy, once hailed for his brains, won a scholarship to Utah State University but lasted just one semester before drifting into work as an apprentice electrician. There was nothing then to hint at the darkness ahead. No criminal record. No outbursts. No flashing warning lights. Just a quiet lad with a sharp mind and a love of video games.
And yet, somewhere along the way, Robinson veered off the tracks. Now he is accused of assassinating Kirk in front of stunned students at Utah Valley University, a calculated killing that has thrown America into turmoil.
What about the weird Halloween picture...was it fake?
I am pretty sure his roommate and possible significant other is transgender.
Not at the rate he is going.
Just look how much a promising young man threw away after being radicalized by leftist forces.
That had been confirmed many times today
College really messed up that young man. He should have read Charlie’s book.
thats a far fall, hopefully he’ll get to live his homo dreams out in prison.
I predict he will be receiving a lifetime supply of lead and copper futures.
And, so the rehab of a fanatical crazed pervert murderer (if the allegations are true) begins.
“And yet, somewhere along the way, Robinson veered off the tracks.”
I’m betting it was while he was in the leftist indoctrination center known as college.
COVID lockdowns, masking, work/study-at-home - the shape of things to come.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he was on the spectrum for autism. Some turn into billionaires, others are sucked into the trans cult.
He settled for being a loser, instead falling in love with a tranny furry.
Whatever became of WordPerfect? The address was Orem UT (same as Utah Valley Univ.)
His “homo dreams” will be nightmares!
He will become every inmate’s bitch.
Rape is probably his end of life if he isn’t put before a firing squad.
Probably not radicalized in college, he was only there for a semester.
This kid who had breezed through high school suddenly somehow couldn’t maintain enough focus to keep at it for more than a semester and ended up at a technical school to become an electrician.
Almost certainly he was radicalized from Internet online communities with the involvement of some kind of drug or drugs.
He apparently was heavily into gaming, so perhaps he had become dependent on stimulants such as ADHD meds or even meth.
On the other hand his emotionless aspect points to SSRIs or benzos or possibly high-potency THC.
Getting to the bottom of it all may mean going up against the interests of Big Pharma.
Are all gamers addicted to Meds?
Not all. And ADHD meds are widely popular with college and high schoolers not just gamers.
Not, all, but a majority? Are the majority of high school and college students on them?
One semester.
That’s all it took.
.
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