Washington County residents prayed for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and his suspected assassin's family during a vigil on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Tyler Robinson's hometown. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, confirmed on Sunday that conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, has a "leftist ideology," despite his conservative upbringing.
CHARLIE KIRK'S ALLEGED SHOOTER NOT COOPERATING WITH AUTHORITIES, UTAH GOV. COX SAYS
Robinson has lived in Washington County, Utah, for most of his life, a deep red county where 75% of residents voted to send President Donald Trump back to the White House last year.
Robinson's parents are registered Republicans, but Utah Voter Registration records reveal that Robinson is unaffiliated with a political party and that he did not vote in the past two general elections.
A neighbor who lives across the street from the Robinson family said he was always polite and neighborly in their brief interactions.
Another Washington County local told Fox News Digital that her brother was friends with him in high school, and he would occasionally come over to her family's house. She said her brother lost touch with him over the past few years as he started working full-time and Robinson spent more time online.
As the community tries to make sense of Robinson's attack, the Utah governor said Robinson's digital footprint could have the answers.
The exterior of Tyler Robinson's family home in Washington, Utah, on Sept. 12, 2025. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Robinson messaged in a Discord chat in the hours following Kirk's assassination, joking that his "doppelgänger" was trying to "get me in trouble."
"He does come from a conservative family, but his ideology was very different than his family," Cox said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, confirming Fox News Digital reporting that Cox's roommate in St. George is a "boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female."
Cox said Robinson's roommate has been cooperating with authorities and had no prior knowledge of the attack. One of Robinson's relatives told Fox News Digital that his transgender roommate "hates conservatives and Christians."
The Utah governor told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that Robinson is not cooperating and has not confessed to assassinating Kirk.
Robinson's neighbors told Fox News Digital that they never would have expected someone from Washington County to kill Kirk.
"Not in a million years," Diana, a Washington County local, said during a vigil on Sunday night. "It's like our governor said, he was hoping it was from someone from a different country or some terrorist or something, and I just feel like a 22-year-old kid doesn't really know. He's just been brainwashed. He's listened to lies from different people, and it's easy to get mixed up."
Neighbors gathered in Washington, Utah, on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, to pray for peace following Charlie Kirk's assassination. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
"I'm very grateful that they did that, and I have utmost sympathy for his family. I can't even imagine what they're going through right now," Tate said.
Holly Wilkinson, a resident of St. George, who wore a "Freedom" shirt to Sunday's vigil in Washington's Veterans Park, said the news was "shocking" but she's witnessed her community come together, even for the Robinson family.
"To hear that the perpetrator of such terrible political violence was raised in our beautiful community is profoundly shocking. Washington County, like Charlie Kirk himself, stands for the values of faith, freedom, the pursuit of happiness, and justice," Washington County said in a statement on Facebook.
There are American flags for sale just blocks from Robinson's technical school. Washington County is less than a one-hour drive to Zion National Park, and the city of St. George is filled with mom-and-pop shops, churches and neighborhood parks.
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Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot on Wednesday, is about a four-hour drive from Washington County.
Fox News Digital's Adam Sabes and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/neighbors-charlie-kirks-suspected-killer-tyler-robinson-speak-out