University of Kwazulu-Natal

Discord Users Unlikely To Face Charges In Charlie Kirk Murder Case

Bonisiwe Shabane
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discord users unlikely to face charges in charlie kirk murder case

Fox News contributor and former U.S. attorney Andy McCarthy discusses the online chats and trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. ST. GEORGE, Utah – After Charlie Kirk’s accused killer allegedly confessed in a Discord chat, legal experts say others in the group are unlikely to face charges unless investigators find proof of active involvement. Suspect Tyler Robinson posted in a Discord group hours before his arrest, writing, "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all…It was me at UVU yesterday…I’m sorry for all of this." The FBI is reviewing the Discord chat where Robinson is believed to have posted.

On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel said some people assume agents can access group chats instantly to see who was involved. In reality, he said, scores of users were in the room. Legal experts say members of a Discord chat where Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin posted a confession are unlikely to face criminal charges unless prosecutors can prove they actively participated in or aided the crime. The FBI is reviewing the chatroom’s users as part of its investigation into the murder of the conservative activist. Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect in the case, reportedly posted to Discord after the assassination, writing, “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all… It was me at UVU yesterday… I’m sorry for... However, experts say the mere act of seeing or not reporting a confession does not meet the legal threshold for criminal complicity.

According to Eugene Volokh, a law professor at UCLA and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, users who saw Robinson’s message after the attack are not criminally liable unless they were involved in... “You can’t be punished just for not alerting authorities after reading a post,” Volokh said. Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy echoed that assessment, noting that criminal charges require clear evidence of agreement or support for the crime in advance. Discord, the platform used for the post, confirmed Robinson’s account and said there is no evidence the assassination was planned or organized on their platform. Investigators believe some planning may have taken place via other private, phone-based applications. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that “scores” of Discord users are being investigated, but added that agents are working through proper legal channels, including search warrants, to access the data.

WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Tuesday that “a lot more” than 20 people are either under investigation or have already been interrogated by federal investigators for discussing Charlie Kirk’s assassination in a... “I see the public reports that the Discord thread had as many as 20 additional users,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pressed Patel during a Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. “It’s a lot more than that,” Patel revealed. “Did Mr. Kirk’s assassin act alone?” Sen.

John Kennedy (R-La.) subsequently asked Patel during the oversight hearing. “There are a number of individuals that are currently being investigated and interrogated — and a number yet to be investigated and interrogated related to that chatroom,” Patel answered. The alleged killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk appeared to take responsibility for the shooting on the messaging platform Discord, a company spokesperson has confirmed. According to the spokesperson, Tyler Robinson, 22, messaged friends in a chat on Discord hours before he was arrested last week in connection with Kirk's shooting at an event at Utah Valley University. "It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this," reads a message from an account that allegedly belongs to Robinson, according to the spokesperson and a law enforcement source.

Robinson, who has not yet been formally charged, is due to appear in court on Tuesday. Arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice, he could face the death penalty. By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:13 EST, 12 September 2025 | Updated: 18:08 EST, 12 September 2025 Discord has denied Charlie Kirk's suspected killer Tyler Robinson used its platform to formulate his plan to gun down the conservative figure - contradicting comments made by state and federal officials. The social and gaming platform said in a statement that its servers were in no way involved in Robinson's alleged plot, nor in any correspondence regarding the hiding of evidence after the fact.

'In the course of our investigation, we identified a Discord account associated with the suspect, but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord,' a spokesperson told... Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., weighs in on the FBI launching an investigation into leftist groups on 'The Evening Edit.' The suspect accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk appeared to confess to others in an online chat before surrendering to authorities, according to a report in the Washington Post. The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, wrote to friends on the online platform Discord, "Hey guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday.

im sorry for all this." A spokesperson for Discord confirmed to FOX Business that the reporting from the Post detailing Discord messages where suspected shooter Tyler Robinson appears to take responsibility for Charlie Kirk’s killing is accurate. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk debates with CSUN students during his American Comeback tour stop at CSUN in Northridge, Calif., on March 6, 2025. (Photo by Benjamin Hanson / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by BENJAMIN HANSON/Middle East Images (Getty Images / Getty Images)

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