Featured Image Credit: ABC News
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, US News, Crime
Joshua Nair
An American news reporter has been criticised online for his reaction to text messages between Charlie Kirk shooting suspect Tyler Robinson and his roommate.
On 10 September, Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck during a college debate at Utah Valley University (UVU), and after a two-day search, Tyler Robinson was revealed by authorities to be the suspect in police custody.
Yesterday (16 September), the 22-year-old was formally charged with seven counts, including aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering, felony discharge of a firearm, and commission of a violent offence in the presence of a child.
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Utah prosecutors have also said that they will be seeking the death penalty.
Numerous text messages between Robinson and his roommate were also read out in court, where they allegedly showed a possible motive behind Kirk's killing.
Meanwhile, other messages supposedly show the 22-year-old 'confessing' to the murder, and urging his roommate to 'delete' the messages.
ABC News' Matt Gutman was reporting on the alleged message exchange, where he noted Robinson's reference to his roommate, who he was reported to have been in a romantic relationship with, as 'my love'.
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He said: “But, also, it was very touching in a way that many of us didn’t expect. A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself, with him repeatedly calling his roommate, who is transitioning, calling him ‘my love.’ And ‘I want to protect you, my love.”
Gutman said that it showed the 'duality' of the suspect after he 'jeopardised the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd', adding: "And then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting, riveting press conference.”
In a later livestream on the platform, the reporter seemingly doubled down on his assessment, claiming (via The New York Post): “I don’t think I ever experienced a press conference in which we’ve read text messages that are A – so fulsome, so robust, so apparently allegedly self-incriminating and yet, on the other hand, so touching, right?”
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Gutman spoke about the 'terminology he used' in efforts to protect his roommate, reading over the message: "‘My reason for doing this is to protect you,’ you know, but also asking him to delete the messages and not speak to law enforcement.
"So, there’s this heartbreaking duality that we’re seeing very tragically playing out."
However, many social media users weren't happy with Gutman's comments, as one person said: "WTF Matt Gutman?"
Another wrote: “Wait, what???”
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Meanwhile, a third suggested that it was 'time to fire' the reporter, as someone else claimed ABC News 'should seriously be ashamed for this garbage'.
LADbible Group has contacted ABC News and Gutman for comment.