Releasing images of Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was the turning point that led to his arrest, according to retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Todd Hulsey, who shared his analysis on Newsmax on Sunday.
"It was a key piece of information that could lead to the capture of the suspect," Hulsey told Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "You put a photo out of somebody and distribute it very widely, someone out there knows who that person is. And it just makes sense to have released the photo at that time."
Robinson remains in custody in Utah and is expected to face formal charges this week, likely including aggravated murder, which could carry the death penalty.
Hulsey said investigators must still determine Robinson's motive, noting reports that he allegedly had a relationship with a male-born transgender.
"The motive is the key here," he said. "From a law enforcement perspective, I would love to see the FBI and Secret Service get together and start looking at this particular issue to find out if there is something going on here."
He added that markings on Robinson's ammunition echoed patterns seen in past attacks.
"When you look at the psyche of this particular individual, the shooter, and you see what he did with the writings on the ammunition, we have seen this in the past in a couple of other shootings," Hulsey said. "Hopefully they'll study this case very closely, just like they did after the Vegas shooting."
Hulsey described the suspect as deliberate and evasive. "He did run away from the scene. He didn't present himself to be a martyr. He did try to get away," he said. "Of course, he has the presumption of innocence, but that shows consciousness of guilt, that he planned to kill somebody, get away, and try to get away with it."
The suspect's parents ultimately turned him in after recognizing him in FBI photos. "Absolutely, this is key," Hulsey said. "We know of a case a few years ago where the parents ended up going to jail because they assisted their son in getting a weapon. Here, the parents did the right thing and turned him in."
Robinson has refused to cooperate with investigators, Hulsey noted.
"He's somebody who committed a crime and doesn't want to implicate himself," he said. "That's not atypical for criminals to decide not to cooperate with law enforcement."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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