The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court filing Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further.Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. But 14 other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take on the case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than allowing the case to be dismissed.
ATLANTA —
The prosecutor who recently took over the Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and others said in a court filing Wednesday that he has decided not to pursue the case further.
Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, took over the case last month from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” created by a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case.
After Skandalakis’ filing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a one-paragraph order dismissing the case in its entirety.
It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he is president. But 14 other defendants still faced charges, including former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
After the Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis’ appeal of her disqualification, it fell to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to find a new prosecutor. Skandalakis said last month that he reached out to several prosecutors, but they all declined to take on the case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a Nov. 14 deadline for the appointment of a new prosecutor, so Skandalakis chose to appoint himself rather than allowing the case to be dismissed.
One night last December, six men met at a home in the Hollywood Hills to plot a kidnapping, prosecutors say.
Their alleged target was a 17-year-old operator of a cryptocurrency business. His abductors, authorities charge, included a felon with ties to Israeli organized crime and a former officer from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Jane Brownstone on Friday disclosed details of the alleged kidnapping at bail hearings for the alleged gangster, Gabby Ben, and the former officer, Eric Halem. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
Ben, 51, has twice been convicted of fraud and deported to Israel, according to court records. Along with his blue jail jumpsuit, he wore a yarmulke and towel around his neck. He shrugged and shook his head when Brownstone said he has “ties to the Israeli mafia.”
Halem, 38, who appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit, served 13 years in the LAPD. By the time he left the department in 2022, he had developed lucrative side hustles, including a luxury car rental business and an app that allowed actors to audition remotely. He was also flirting with the idea of developing a reality show about his life, former associates told The Times.
Around 2 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2024, Halem, Ben and four other men drove in two cars — Ben’s rented Lamborghini Urus and a Range Rover — to a luxury high-rise in Koreatown where the alleged victim lived, Brownstone said in court.
Dressed in dark clothing, Halem, Ben and two other men punched in the access code to the victim’s apartment, Brownstone said. The teenager wasn’t home, but the intruders found his girlfriend in a closet and restrained her with LAPD-issued handcuffs, according to the prosecutor.
“Everyone was armed,” Brownstone said. “They claimed they were from the Los Angeles Police Department and they were executing a search warrant.”
When the intended victim returned home, the men handcuffed him and demanded he open his crypto wallet on his phone and computer, Brownstone said. The teen tried to bluff by showing an empty digital wallet, she said.
The intruders threatened to shoot the teenager in the foot and waterboard him if he didn’t surrender his crypto, turning on a shower to emphasize the threat, the prosecutor said.
Only then did he provide the code to a safe that held a “hard-wired” crypto wallet stored on a thumb drive, Brownstone told the judge. The wallet contained $350,000 in crypto, she said.
Surveillance footage showed Ben, Halem and the other intruders leaving the victim’s apartment building about 25 minutes after they entered, according to the prosecutor. They did not touch the Rolex watches or stacks of cash inside the safe and scattered throughout the apartment.
Halem’s attorney, Megan Maitia, cast doubt on the “alleged motive” for the case, questioning how the young man described by authorities as a victim had accumulated so much crypto.
“How does a 17-year-old do this?” she asked.
Maitia argued it wasn’t her client who’d threatened to hurt the teenager, but a sixth, still-unidentified suspect who “everyone thought was the most dangerous.”
Brownstone told the judge that police are still searching for a sixth suspect.
Maitia asked Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria Wilson to grant her client bail. Far from the high-flying, deep-pocketed wheeler-dealer he was portrayed to be, Halem, a father of two, was now broke, his lawyer said. His house was encumbered with liens and he’d sold a “prop plane” that prosecutors cited when arguing he was a risk to abscond, Maitia said.
“The bank accounts are empty,” she told Wilson.
Maitia also argued Halem was in danger in the Los Angeles County jails. “He worries he is going to be killed because he was a cop,” she said.
Wilson said she would order the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jails, to protect Halem but was not moved to grant him bail.
Nor did she approve the release of Ben. His attorney, Kellen Davis, said his client had no violent convictions and always complied with court orders “from the limited record he does have.”
Ben was convicted of orchestrating a “bust out” scheme by paying people to open bank accounts that were later used to commit fraud, court records show. He was also accused of defrauding elderly people after entering their homes disguised as an HVAC technician and secretly photographing driver’s licenses and bank statements.
Ben, who lived in Los Angeles and Miami, owned healthcare and assisted living facilities, Davis said. “They are legitimate and he’s been operating them for years,” he told Wilson.
The judge wasn’t persuaded. Wilson called the allegation that Ben and his co-defendants posed as policemen “extremely troubling,” and she said there was a chance he could cause “great bodily harm to others” if let out of jail.
Times staff writers Libor Jany and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
HIM. A SACRAMENTO FAMILY IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF A MAN DESCRIBED AS A LOVING AND FIERY SPORTS FANATIC. IT’S TOUGH. IT’S FRUSTRATING. AFTER WEEKS OF SEARCHING, WE WEREN’T GETTING ANY ANSWERS FROM HIM. THE FAMILY OF 59 YEAR OLD RICHARD MCCLINTOCK NOW WANT ACCOUNTABILITY. WE’RE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL UNTIL WE GET JUSTICE FOR RICHARD MCCLINTOCK, WHO HAD CEREBRAL PALSY RELIED ON CARETAKERS FOR SUPPORT. NOW, THE WOMAN HIRED TO HELP HIM IS CHARGED WITH HIS MURDER. 41 YEAR OLD CHRISTINA COHEN WAS ARRAIGNED ON MURDER AND FRAUD CHARGES. THE COURT NOT ALLOWING KCRA 3 TO SHOW HER FACE, BUT IT’S ONE HIS FAMILY KNOWS WELL. THIS IS WHAT WE SUSPECTED ALL ALONG. THE FAMILY SAYS COHEN’S WAS RICHARD’S CARETAKER FOR YEARS. THEY NEVER NOTICED ANYTHING WRONG UNTIL HIS SISTER DIED. AND SUDDENLY THEY COULDN’T GET IN CONTACT WITH RICHARD. MY AUNT SHELLY, SHE WENT OVER TO HIS APARTMENT, KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, AND THERE WAS NO ANSWER. ALL OF A SUDDEN. THEN WE STARTED GETTING TEXT MESSAGES FROM HIS FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. MESSAGES, THEY SAY LOOKED UNUSUAL. AND WHEN THEY CAME BACK THAT SAME NIGHT, THE CARETAKER WOULD NOT LET HER SEE OR WOULD NOT LET HER SEE RICHARD. THE FAMILY ASKED POLICE FOR A WELFARE CHECK ON OCTOBER 25TH. SACRAMENTO POLICE SAY OFFICERS WENT TO THE APARTMENT BUT DIDN’T FIND MCCLINTOCK. NEARLY TWO WEEKS LATER, POLICE FOUND RICHARD’S REMAINS AFTER GETTING A WARRANT TO SEARCH HIS APARTMENT TO KNOW THAT SOMEBODY IS CAPABLE OF DOING THIS TO A DISABLED PERSON. AND MY UNCLE’S CONDITION IS IS JUST OUTRAGEOUS. COHEN’S WAS INITIALLY ARRESTED FOR UNLAWFUL DISPOSAL OF HUMAN REMAINS, GRAND THEFT, AND ATTEMPT TO CONCEAL A DEATH. SHE’S NOW CHARGED WITH MURDER AND WELFARE FRAUD. HER ATTORNEY ASKED FOR CONTINUATION IN COURT TODAY. SHE’LL BE BACK IN COURT ON NOVEMBER 24TH. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM CECIL HANNIBAL KCRA THREE NEWS. ALL RIGHT. CECIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. COURT RECORDS ALSO SHOW COHEN WAS ARRAIGNED ON FELONY EMBEZZLEMENT CHARGES BACK IN JULY, BUT WE DON’
Sacramento man with cerebral palsy was killed by caretaker in July, court documents allege
Newly-released court documents shed new light on the death of a Sacramento man with cerebral palsy who was believed to have been killed by his caretaker. Richard McClintic was reported missing by his family on Oct. 25. His body was found in his apartment on the night of Nov. 6, the Sacramento Police Department said, after officers executed a search warrant. (Previous coverage in the video player above.)Christina Cowens, 41, McClintic’s caretaker, was arrested in connection with his death. She was initially charged with unlawful disposal of human remains, grand theft, and concealment/attempt to conceal a death, before she was also charged with McClintic’s murder and making fraudulent claims to an officer. A felony complaint filed in Sacramento County on Nov. 10 indicates prosecutors believe McClintic was murdered on or about July 3, more than four months before his body was found. The circumstances surrounding McClintic’s death remain unknown, and it’s unclear how Cowens may have concealed McClintic’s remains after his death. Sacramento police said they had carried out a welfare check at his apartment soon after he was reported missing, but initially did not find him. Just a couple of weeks after McClintic’s death, Cowens was also charged with fraudulently appropriating a U-Haul truck, sometime between July 15 and 21. It’s not clear if that was related to the concealment of McClintic’s death.McClintic’s family described him as “a fiery guy,” who was “fun to be around.” “Very strong guy, 59 years old, with cerebral palsy and pushed through his entire life with that condition and never complained,” his nephew, Ryan Klagenberg, previously told KCRA 3.Cowens first appeared in court on Nov. 10. At that hearing, her attorney requested a continuation. She will return to the courtroom on Nov. 24. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Newly-released court documents shed new light on the death of a Sacramento man with cerebral palsy who was believed to have been killed by his caretaker.
Richard McClintic was reported missing by his family on Oct. 25. His body was found in his apartment on the night of Nov. 6, the Sacramento Police Department said, after officers executed a search warrant.
(Previous coverage in the video player above.)
Christina Cowens, 41, McClintic’s caretaker, was arrested in connection with his death. She was initially charged with unlawful disposal of human remains, grand theft, and concealment/attempt to conceal a death, before she was also charged with McClintic’s murder and making fraudulent claims to an officer.
A felony complaint filed in Sacramento County on Nov. 10 indicates prosecutors believe McClintic was murdered on or about July 3, more than four months before his body was found.
The circumstances surrounding McClintic’s death remain unknown, and it’s unclear how Cowens may have concealed McClintic’s remains after his death. Sacramento police said they had carried out a welfare check at his apartment soon after he was reported missing, but initially did not find him.
Just a couple of weeks after McClintic’s death, Cowens was also charged with fraudulently appropriating a U-Haul truck, sometime between July 15 and 21. It’s not clear if that was related to the concealment of McClintic’s death.
McClintic’s family described him as “a fiery guy,” who was “fun to be around.”
“Very strong guy, 59 years old, with cerebral palsy and pushed through his entire life with that condition and never complained,” his nephew, Ryan Klagenberg, previously told KCRA 3.
Cowens first appeared in court on Nov. 10. At that hearing, her attorney requested a continuation. She will return to the courtroom on Nov. 24.
President Donald Trump has issued two pardons related to the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including for a woman convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents who were investigating a tip that she may have been at the Capitol, officials said Saturday.Related video above: BBC leaders resign amid scandal over misleading edit of Trump’s Jan. 6 speechIn a separate case, Trump issued a second pardon for a Jan. 6 defendant who had remained behind bars despite the sweeping grant of clemency for Capitol rioters because of a separate conviction for illegally possessing firearms.It’s the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use his constitutional authority to help supporters who were scrutinized as part of the Biden administration’s massive Jan. 6 investigation that led to charges against more than 1,500 defendants.Suzanne Ellen Kaye was released last year after serving an 18-month sentence in her threats case. After the FBI contacted her in 2021 about a tip indicating she may have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6, she posted a video on social media citing her Second Amendment right to carry a gun, and she threatened to shoot agents if they came to her house. In court papers, prosecutors said her words “were part of the ubiquity of violent political rhetoric that causes serious harm to our communities.”An email seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for Kaye on Saturday. Kaye testified at trial that she didn’t own any guns and didn’t intend to threaten the FBI, according to court papers. She told authorities she was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and wasn’t charged with any Capitol riot-related crimes.A White House official said Kaye suffers from “stress-induced seizures” and experienced one when the jury read its verdict. The White House said this is “clearly a case of disfavored First Amendment political speech being prosecuted and an excessive sentence.” The official requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the case.In a separate case, Trump pardoned Daniel Edwin Wilson, of Louisville, Kentucky, who was under investigation for his role in the riot when authorities found six guns and roughly 4,800 rounds of ammunition in his home. Because of prior felony convictions, it was illegal for him to possess firearms.Wilson’s case became part of a legal debate over whether Trump’s sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters in January applied to other crimes discovered during the sprawling federal dragnet that began after the attack on the Capitol. The Trump-appointed federal judge who oversaw Wilson’s case criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the president’s Jan. 6 pardons applied to Wilson’s gun offense.Wilson, who had been scheduled to remain in prison until 2028, was released Friday evening following the pardon, his lawyer said on Saturday.”We are grateful that President Trump has recognized the injustice in my client’s case and granted him this pardon,” attorney George Pallas said in an email. “Mr. Wilson can now reunite with his family and begin rebuilding his life.”The White House official said Saturday that “because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, and they should have never been there in the first place, President Trump is pardoning Mr. Wilson for the firearm issues.”Wilson had been sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to impede or injure police officers and illegally possessing firearms at his home.Prosecutors had accused him of planning for the Jan. 6 riot for weeks and coming to Washington with the goal of stopping the peaceful transfer of power. Authorities said he communicated with members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group and adherents of the antigovernment Three Percenters movement as he marched to the Capitol.Prosecutors cited messages they argued showed that Wilson’s “plans were for a broader American civil war.” In one message on Nov. 9, 2020, he wrote: “I’m willing to do whatever. Done made up my mind. I understand the tip of the spear will not be easy. I’m willing to sacrifice myself if necessary. Whether it means prison or death.”Wilson said at his sentencing that he regretted entering the Capitol that day but “got involved with good intentions.”The Justice Department had initially argued in February that Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back in the White House didn’t extend to Wilson’s gun crime. The department later changed its position, saying it had received “further clarity on the intent of the Presidential Pardon.”U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, criticized the department’s evolving position and said it was “extraordinary” that prosecutors were seeking to argue that Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons extended to illegal “contraband” found by investigators during searches related to the Jan. 6 cases.Politico first reported Wilson’s pardon on Saturday.Megerian reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.
WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Donald Trump has issued two pardons related to the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including for a woman convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents who were investigating a tip that she may have been at the Capitol, officials said Saturday.
Related video above: BBC leaders resign amid scandal over misleading edit of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech
In a separate case, Trump issued a second pardon for a Jan. 6 defendant who had remained behind bars despite the sweeping grant of clemency for Capitol rioters because of a separate conviction for illegally possessing firearms.
It’s the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use his constitutional authority to help supporters who were scrutinized as part of the Biden administration’s massive Jan. 6 investigation that led to charges against more than 1,500 defendants.
Suzanne Ellen Kaye was released last year after serving an 18-month sentence in her threats case. After the FBI contacted her in 2021 about a tip indicating she may have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6, she posted a video on social media citing her Second Amendment right to carry a gun, and she threatened to shoot agents if they came to her house. In court papers, prosecutors said her words “were part of the ubiquity of violent political rhetoric that causes serious harm to our communities.”
An email seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for Kaye on Saturday. Kaye testified at trial that she didn’t own any guns and didn’t intend to threaten the FBI, according to court papers. She told authorities she was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and wasn’t charged with any Capitol riot-related crimes.
A White House official said Kaye suffers from “stress-induced seizures” and experienced one when the jury read its verdict. The White House said this is “clearly a case of disfavored First Amendment political speech being prosecuted and an excessive sentence.” The official requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the case.
In a separate case, Trump pardoned Daniel Edwin Wilson, of Louisville, Kentucky, who was under investigation for his role in the riot when authorities found six guns and roughly 4,800 rounds of ammunition in his home. Because of prior felony convictions, it was illegal for him to possess firearms.
Wilson’s case became part of a legal debate over whether Trump’s sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters in January applied to other crimes discovered during the sprawling federal dragnet that began after the attack on the Capitol. The Trump-appointed federal judge who oversaw Wilson’s case criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the president’s Jan. 6 pardons applied to Wilson’s gun offense.
Wilson, who had been scheduled to remain in prison until 2028, was released Friday evening following the pardon, his lawyer said on Saturday.
“We are grateful that President Trump has recognized the injustice in my client’s case and granted him this pardon,” attorney George Pallas said in an email. “Mr. Wilson can now reunite with his family and begin rebuilding his life.”
The White House official said Saturday that “because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, and they should have never been there in the first place, President Trump is pardoning Mr. Wilson for the firearm issues.”
Wilson had been sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to impede or injure police officers and illegally possessing firearms at his home.
Prosecutors had accused him of planning for the Jan. 6 riot for weeks and coming to Washington with the goal of stopping the peaceful transfer of power. Authorities said he communicated with members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group and adherents of the antigovernment Three Percenters movement as he marched to the Capitol.
Prosecutors cited messages they argued showed that Wilson’s “plans were for a broader American civil war.” In one message on Nov. 9, 2020, he wrote: “I’m willing to do whatever. Done made up my mind. I understand the tip of the spear will not be easy. I’m willing to sacrifice myself if necessary. Whether it means prison or death.”
Wilson said at his sentencing that he regretted entering the Capitol that day but “got involved with good intentions.”
The Justice Department had initially argued in February that Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back in the White House didn’t extend to Wilson’s gun crime. The department later changed its position, saying it had received “further clarity on the intent of the Presidential Pardon.”
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, criticized the department’s evolving position and said it was “extraordinary” that prosecutors were seeking to argue that Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons extended to illegal “contraband” found by investigators during searches related to the Jan. 6 cases.
Politico first reported Wilson’s pardon on Saturday.
President Donald Trump has issued two pardons related to the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including for a woman convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents who were investigating a tip that she may have been at the Capitol, officials said Saturday.Related video above: BBC leaders resign amid scandal over misleading edit of Trump’s Jan. 6 speechIn a separate case, Trump issued a second pardon for a Jan. 6 defendant who had remained behind bars despite the sweeping grant of clemency for Capitol rioters because of a separate conviction for illegally possessing firearms.It’s the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use his constitutional authority to help supporters who were scrutinized as part of the Biden administration’s massive Jan. 6 investigation that led to charges against more than 1,500 defendants.Suzanne Ellen Kaye was released last year after serving an 18-month sentence in her threats case. After the FBI contacted her in 2021 about a tip indicating she may have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6, she posted a video on social media citing her Second Amendment right to carry a gun, and she threatened to shoot agents if they came to her house. In court papers, prosecutors said her words “were part of the ubiquity of violent political rhetoric that causes serious harm to our communities.”An email seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for Kaye on Saturday. Kaye testified at trial that she didn’t own any guns and didn’t intend to threaten the FBI, according to court papers. She told authorities she was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and wasn’t charged with any Capitol riot-related crimes.A White House official said Kaye suffers from “stress-induced seizures” and experienced one when the jury read its verdict. The White House said this is “clearly a case of disfavored First Amendment political speech being prosecuted and an excessive sentence.” The official requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the case.In a separate case, Trump pardoned Daniel Edwin Wilson, of Louisville, Kentucky, who was under investigation for his role in the riot when authorities found six guns and roughly 4,800 rounds of ammunition in his home. Because of prior felony convictions, it was illegal for him to possess firearms.Wilson’s case became part of a legal debate over whether Trump’s sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters in January applied to other crimes discovered during the sprawling federal dragnet that began after the attack on the Capitol. The Trump-appointed federal judge who oversaw Wilson’s case criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the president’s Jan. 6 pardons applied to Wilson’s gun offense.Wilson, who had been scheduled to remain in prison until 2028, was released Friday evening following the pardon, his lawyer said on Saturday.”We are grateful that President Trump has recognized the injustice in my client’s case and granted him this pardon,” attorney George Pallas said in an email. “Mr. Wilson can now reunite with his family and begin rebuilding his life.”The White House official said Saturday that “because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, and they should have never been there in the first place, President Trump is pardoning Mr. Wilson for the firearm issues.”Wilson had been sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to impede or injure police officers and illegally possessing firearms at his home.Prosecutors had accused him of planning for the Jan. 6 riot for weeks and coming to Washington with the goal of stopping the peaceful transfer of power. Authorities said he communicated with members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group and adherents of the antigovernment Three Percenters movement as he marched to the Capitol.Prosecutors cited messages they argued showed that Wilson’s “plans were for a broader American civil war.” In one message on Nov. 9, 2020, he wrote: “I’m willing to do whatever. Done made up my mind. I understand the tip of the spear will not be easy. I’m willing to sacrifice myself if necessary. Whether it means prison or death.”Wilson said at his sentencing that he regretted entering the Capitol that day but “got involved with good intentions.”The Justice Department had initially argued in February that Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back in the White House didn’t extend to Wilson’s gun crime. The department later changed its position, saying it had received “further clarity on the intent of the Presidential Pardon.”U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, criticized the department’s evolving position and said it was “extraordinary” that prosecutors were seeking to argue that Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons extended to illegal “contraband” found by investigators during searches related to the Jan. 6 cases.Politico first reported Wilson’s pardon on Saturday.Megerian reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.
WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Donald Trump has issued two pardons related to the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, including for a woman convicted of threatening to shoot FBI agents who were investigating a tip that she may have been at the Capitol, officials said Saturday.
Related video above: BBC leaders resign amid scandal over misleading edit of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech
In a separate case, Trump issued a second pardon for a Jan. 6 defendant who had remained behind bars despite the sweeping grant of clemency for Capitol rioters because of a separate conviction for illegally possessing firearms.
It’s the latest example of Trump’s willingness to use his constitutional authority to help supporters who were scrutinized as part of the Biden administration’s massive Jan. 6 investigation that led to charges against more than 1,500 defendants.
Suzanne Ellen Kaye was released last year after serving an 18-month sentence in her threats case. After the FBI contacted her in 2021 about a tip indicating she may have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6, she posted a video on social media citing her Second Amendment right to carry a gun, and she threatened to shoot agents if they came to her house. In court papers, prosecutors said her words “were part of the ubiquity of violent political rhetoric that causes serious harm to our communities.”
An email seeking comment was sent to a lawyer for Kaye on Saturday. Kaye testified at trial that she didn’t own any guns and didn’t intend to threaten the FBI, according to court papers. She told authorities she was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and wasn’t charged with any Capitol riot-related crimes.
A White House official said Kaye suffers from “stress-induced seizures” and experienced one when the jury read its verdict. The White House said this is “clearly a case of disfavored First Amendment political speech being prosecuted and an excessive sentence.” The official requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the case.
In a separate case, Trump pardoned Daniel Edwin Wilson, of Louisville, Kentucky, who was under investigation for his role in the riot when authorities found six guns and roughly 4,800 rounds of ammunition in his home. Because of prior felony convictions, it was illegal for him to possess firearms.
Wilson’s case became part of a legal debate over whether Trump’s sweeping pardons for Jan. 6 rioters in January applied to other crimes discovered during the sprawling federal dragnet that began after the attack on the Capitol. The Trump-appointed federal judge who oversaw Wilson’s case criticized the Justice Department earlier this year for arguing that the president’s Jan. 6 pardons applied to Wilson’s gun offense.
Wilson, who had been scheduled to remain in prison until 2028, was released Friday evening following the pardon, his lawyer said on Saturday.
“We are grateful that President Trump has recognized the injustice in my client’s case and granted him this pardon,” attorney George Pallas said in an email. “Mr. Wilson can now reunite with his family and begin rebuilding his life.”
The White House official said Saturday that “because the search of Mr. Wilson’s home was due to the events of January 6, and they should have never been there in the first place, President Trump is pardoning Mr. Wilson for the firearm issues.”
Wilson had been sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to impede or injure police officers and illegally possessing firearms at his home.
Prosecutors had accused him of planning for the Jan. 6 riot for weeks and coming to Washington with the goal of stopping the peaceful transfer of power. Authorities said he communicated with members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group and adherents of the antigovernment Three Percenters movement as he marched to the Capitol.
Prosecutors cited messages they argued showed that Wilson’s “plans were for a broader American civil war.” In one message on Nov. 9, 2020, he wrote: “I’m willing to do whatever. Done made up my mind. I understand the tip of the spear will not be easy. I’m willing to sacrifice myself if necessary. Whether it means prison or death.”
Wilson said at his sentencing that he regretted entering the Capitol that day but “got involved with good intentions.”
The Justice Department had initially argued in February that Trump’s pardons of the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back in the White House didn’t extend to Wilson’s gun crime. The department later changed its position, saying it had received “further clarity on the intent of the Presidential Pardon.”
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, criticized the department’s evolving position and said it was “extraordinary” that prosecutors were seeking to argue that Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons extended to illegal “contraband” found by investigators during searches related to the Jan. 6 cases.
Politico first reported Wilson’s pardon on Saturday.
A piano teacher to the stars who fled the country last month just before a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a student was arrested in Australia, authorities said.
John Kaleel, 69, was taken into custody by Australian Federal Police on Oct. 31, according to Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the agency investigating him in the United States.
It was not clear where Kaleel was arrested, and Australian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kaleel, an Australian national, was facing a retrial on multiple counts of sexually abusing a student last month when he fled the country on Oct. 8, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Kaleel disappeared while jurors were deliberating at the Airport Courthouse. His attorney, Kate Hardie, said she last saw Kaleel after driving him home from court on Oct. 7. She declined to comment on his arrest.
It is expected that Kaleel will be returned to the U.S., where he faces a lengthy prison sentence after he was convicted of multiple counts of committing lewd acts with a child.
Kaleel taught private piano lessons in the U.S. for more than 25 years, and his clients included the children of the creators of beloved television series such as “Mad Men” and “Orange Is the New Black.” But he became the subject of a Sheriff’s Department investigation in 2015 when a student told detectives Kaleel had been acting inappropriately toward him for years.
The boy said he was 12 when Kaleel asked “to take measurements of [the victim’s] body parts, including his penis,” according to court records. Kaleel later convinced the boy that they should masturbate together while on a FaceTime call because that’s “what friends do,” records show.
When the victim was 15, prosecutors allege, Kaleel invited him over in September 2013 and they smoked marijuana together before having oral sex.
Kaleel initially pleaded no contest to one count of committing lewd acts with a child in 2016, but later appealed the deal on the grounds that he didn’t know how it would affect his immigration status. Kaleel has been a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. since the 1980s, according to Hardie, but found himself in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the plea.
Kaleel successfully appealed a deportation order and convinced an L.A. County judge to throw out the plea deal, but the L.A. County district attorney’s office decided to retry him.
“Mr. Kaleel has always maintained his innocence and that he took his initial plea bargain on the advice of counsel to avoid a harsher sentence should he lose at trial,” Hardie previously told The Times.
The district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment and has not discussed what, if any, efforts it has taken to return Kaleel to the U.S. since his arrest.
Court records show prosecutors filed an application for an extradition warrant last month.
RAVENCLIFF, W.Va. — Early Friday morning, a caravan including specially-trained dogs, law enforcement, West Virginia National Guard excavator, firefighters and other volunteers came to Wyoming County and searched for a soldier who disappeared 63 years ago while taking Christmas presents to his family.
Brenda Haynes-Lester and her sister, Linda Haynes, have worked for years to find their father, Sgt. James Lee Haynes of the United States Army, who was reported missing on Dec. 7, 1963, and declared dead on Dec. 8, 1964. The sisters, who were a year and a half old when their father disappeared, were at a site called Little Bolt that Friday morning as the search got underway.
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RAVENCLIFF — Early Friday morning, a caravan including specially-trained dogs, law enforcement, West Virginia National Guard excavator, firefighters and other volunteers came to Wyoming County and searched for a soldier who disappeared 63 years ago while taking Christmas presents to…
RAVENCLIFF — Early Friday morning, a caravan including specially-trained dogs, law enforcement, West Virginia National Guard excavator, firefighters and other volunteers came to Wyoming County and searched for a soldier who disappeared 63 years ago while taking Christmas presents to…
Haro, 32, who initially pleaded not guilty, reversed course and pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to one count each of murder, assault on a child under 8 causing death and filing a false police report, according to the Riverside County district attorney’s office.
He and his wife, Rebecca Haro, 41, reported that their son was kidnapped after someone attacked her in a Yucaipa parking lot on Aug. 14. But detectives quickly found holes in their story and charged both parents with murder.
On Monday, Haro received a sentence of 25 years to life for murder as well as a 180-day sentence for the false police report.
Because he committed these crimes while on probation, he must also serve a sentence of six years and eight months that he previously received in a child abuse case, prosecutors said.
Emmanuel Haro was reported kidnapped, but his parents later faced murder charges.
(San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department)
Haro was convicted of felony willful child endangerment in 2023 after his baby daughter was taken to the hospital in 2018 with a skull fracture, several healing fractures to her ribs, a brain hemorrhage, swelling in the neck and a healing tibia fracture in her leg, according to a police affidavit for an arrest warrant.
A judge later suspended that sentence — a decision that Riverside County Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin lambasted at an Aug. 27 news conference.
“If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” Hestrin said. “That’s a shame and it’s an outrage.”
Haro has been credited with 551 days of time served and, as a result of the aggregated charges, will spend a minimum of 30 years in prison before he becomes eligible for parole.
Although baby Emmanuel’s body has yet to be found, prosecutors believe that multiple acts of abuse and physical assault led to the boy’s death.
The mother has maintained her not guilty plea to charges of murder and filing a false police report. She is due back in court for a felony settlement conference on Jan. 21, prosecutors said.
“The lies told in this case only deepened the tragedy of Emmanuel’s death,” Hestrin said in a Monday statement. “While today’s sentence represents a measure of accountability for Jake Haro, our office will continue to seek justice as the case against his co-defendant moves forward.”
Prosecutors allege that the couple deliberately faked the child’s kidnapping. When investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department questioned the mother about inconsistencies in her police report, the couple stopped cooperating.
A week later, they were arrested at their Cabazon home. In August, authorities removed another 2-year-old child from the couple’s custody and scoured a field in Moreno Valley accompanied by Haro in a jail jumpsuit.
Baby Emmanuel’s remains have yet to be found.
Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
BOSTON — Democratic Attorney General Andrea Campbell is running for reelection, touting her efforts to protect civil rights and consumer protections and filing litigation pushing back against the Trump administration’s divisive policies.
Campbell, the state’s first Black attorney general, announced Tuesday that she plans to seek another four-year term as the state’s top law enforcement official in the 2026 elections.
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Four years after the “Rust” movie shooting, New Mexico officials have moved Alec Baldwin’s lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution to federal court.
This week’s filing is the latest twist in the long legal saga after the October 2021 on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, the 67-year-old star and a producer of the western film, had been facing a felony involuntary manslaughter charge for his role in Hutchins’ accidental shooting. But the judge overseeing Baldwin’s case abruptly dismissed the charge against him during his July 2024 trial after concluding that prosecutors withheld evidence that may have been helpful to his legal team.
Six months later, Baldwin sued New Mexico’s district attorney and special prosecutors, asserting malicious prosecution. The actor claimed he had been made a celebrity scapegoat because of the intense media pressure on local authorities to solve the high-profile case.
His lawsuit targeted New Mexico special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey, 1st Judicial Dist. Atty. Mary Carmack-Altwies and Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies, who led the investigation into Hutchins’ death.
The defendants have denied Baldwin’s allegations.
Baldwin’s wrongful prosecution suit was first filed in New Mexico court in Santa Fe.
On Tuesday, the defendants, including Morrissey, exercised their legal right to shift the case to federal court. The decision was made, in part, because “Mr. Baldwin brought federal civil rights claims in his lawsuit,” said Albuquerque attorney Luis Robles, who represents the defendants.
In addition, Baldwin does not live in New Mexico, where the case was filed.
Baldwin could object to the move and petition for it to be brought back to state court. On Wednesday, his team was not immediately available for comment.
A New Mexico judge had dismissed Baldwin’s malicious prosecution claims in July, citing 90 days of inactivity in the case. Baldwin’s legal team petitioned to get the case reinstated and the judge agreed to the request.
That prompted the defendants’ move to shift the case to the higher court.
During his Santa Fe trial last year, Baldwin’s lawyers had sought to turn the focus away from whether Baldwin pulled his gun’s trigger in the accidental shooting to where the lethal bullet came from.
Baldwin’s attorneys repeatedly accused law enforcement officers and prosecutors of bungling the case, including by allegedly hiding potential evidence — a batch of bullets that they said may have been related to the one that killed Hutchins.
A judge has agreed to revoke bond for a man accused of trying to rape a woman on an Orange County trail.The man, 23-year-old Jacoby Tillman, was out on a $9,500 bond after he was accused of attacking a woman from behind and attempting to rape her on July 25. Tillman was arrested on Oct. 10 and charged with attempted sexual battery, battery by strangulation and false imprisonment.The incident happened on a running trail near Econ Park. Tillman’s bond release sparked outrage from Orange County Sheriff John Mina.Prosecutors said they wanted him locked up until his trial, and they filed a new motion for it to happen. They also upped his charge to attempted first-degree murder. After being released on bond, prosecutors said Tillman posted a TikTok and made comments directed at the witness and used a text message that the witness had sent him in the past.The state argues that this violated the judge’s no-contact order with the victim and witnesses, which is a condition for his release.The judge agreed that Tillman violated court orders. At that time, he was charged with attempted sexual battery. In a new court filing, prosecutors said they want Tillman to be sentenced as a “habitual violent felony offender.”Tillman’s criminal record includes convictions for aggravated battery and misdemeanor battery in Orange County.His girlfriend at the time also reported abusive behavior, including an incident where he choked her until she lost consciousness, according to the OCSO.Related content
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
A judge has agreed to revoke bond for a man accused of trying to rape a woman on an Orange County trail.
The man, 23-year-old Jacoby Tillman, was out on a $9,500 bond after he was accused of attacking a woman from behind and attempting to rape her on July 25.
Tillman was arrested on Oct. 10 and charged with attempted sexual battery, battery by strangulation and false imprisonment.
The incident happened on a running trail near Econ Park.
Tillman’s bond release sparked outrage from Orange County Sheriff John Mina.
Prosecutors said they wanted him locked up until his trial, and they filed a new motion for it to happen. They also upped his charge to attempted first-degree murder.
After being released on bond, prosecutors said Tillman posted a TikTok and made comments directed at the witness and used a text message that the witness had sent him in the past.
The state argues that this violated the judge’s no-contact order with the victim and witnesses, which is a condition for his release.
The judge agreed that Tillman violated court orders.
At that time, he was charged with attempted sexual battery. In a new court filing, prosecutors said they want Tillman to be sentenced as a “habitual violent felony offender.”
Tillman’s criminal record includes convictions for aggravated battery and misdemeanor battery in Orange County.
His girlfriend at the time also reported abusive behavior, including an incident where he choked her until she lost consciousness, according to the OCSO.
SALEM — The trial of a wounded North Andover police officer could get underway as early as January, after an Essex County Superior Court judge pushes for the case to be tried sooner rather than later.
Kelsey Fitzsimmons’ lawyer, Timothy Bradl, and state prosecutor James Gubitose agreed to a pretrial assignment conference Nov. 25 to set a trial date after a pretrial conference Tuesday with her lawyer absent from the courtroom.
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The two bodies discovered on a brush-covered slope in the Montecito Hills were not easily identified.
The victims were “faceless” after being shot and bludgeoned beyond recognition, according to Los Angeles County prosecutor Stephen Lonseth.
But there were clues: A tattoo with a family name. Fingernails painted aqua blue, a teenage girl’s beauty routine.
One had the word “hoe” written on her stomach in blood. The autopsy showed she was around seven weeks pregnant.
Flowers that were left for Gabriella Calzada and Brianna Gallegos at an entrance to Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in November 2015 near where they were found dead.
(Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Investigators found the remains in a ditch in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park on Oct. 28, 2015. Using tattoos and dental records, police identified the victims as Gabriella Calzada, 19, and Brianna Gallegos, 17, who was carrying the baby.
Police interviewed a prime suspect within the first week: Jose Echeverria, 18, whose name Gallegos had tattooed on her chest. Four months later, detectives seemingly caught him confessing on a jailhouse recording that he and Dallas Pineda, 17, had brought the young women to the park and killed them.
But what seemed like an open-and-shut case dragged on for nearly a decade. Until Monday, when a jury convicted Echeverria and Pineda of first-degree murder.
Even by the glacial standards of L.A. County — where proceedings are known to crawl along due to frequent delays and a pandemic-fueled backlog — the path to justice was painfully slow.
Jose Echeverria listens to closing arguments in his murder trial at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
The recent trial dredged up old memories, with some evidence suggesting gang loyalties pushed Echeverria and Pineda to commit the grisly crime — while prosecutor David Ayvazian alleged a more sinister motive.
“They didn’t kill these girls because they were rivals, they used that as an excuse. They liked it,” Ayvazian said. “They set up this murder. They beat these girls to a bloody pulp.”
When prosecutors displayed gruesome crime scene photos that showed how Calzada and Gallegos looked when they were found, some members of the jury recoiled. One woman covered her mouth in shock. Someone in the courtroom whispered: “Jesus.”
Adam Garcia, who discovered the bodies while walking his dogs, testified that so much time had passed he could recall only “flashes” of what he saw. Judging by the amount of blood, he assumed a coyote had killed something.
“I can’t hold the image too well,” he said. “It was shocking, I guess, for me to see that.”
Police questioned Echeverria in his home a week after the killings. He said he had been in a relationship with Gallegos, but it was winding down because she got out of hand when she drank. They socialized with Pineda and Calzada, who were a couple.
In a photo displayed in court, the four smile and pose holding beer cans, arms slung over each other’s shoulders.
Prosecutor David Ayvazian makes his closing arguments at the murder trial of Jose Echeverria and Dallas Pineda, with photos of victims Gabriella Calzada, left, and Brianna Gallegos displayed.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“I remember making bad choices as a kid,” prosecutor Ayvazian said during closing arguments, referencing the girls’ decision to hang out with Echeverria and Pineda. He called them “wannabe gangsters.”
Detectives noted that Echeverria had scratch marks on his arms, as if he’d been in a struggle. He went by the nicknames “Klepto” and “Diablo,” and had recently been jumped into 18th Street, a large street gang.
But investigators had no weapon or links that connected him to the crime scene.
Trial evidence showed Echeverria used the Facebook messaging app to plan a meet-up with Gallegos and Calzada in Debs Park.
Valeria Maldonado, now 29, was living with Calzada and her parents when she went missing. Maldonado said the last time they spoke was by phone, when Calzada and Gallegos were headed by bus to Echeverria’s neighborhood.
The next day, after Calzada didn’t come home, Maldonado reached out to Echeverria, who said the girls never showed up for their planned meeting.
“Man she was the girl” Echeverria wrote.
Prosecutors noted that his use of past tense was suspicious. Although the bodies had been discovered in the park that morning, they had not yet been identified. All anyone knew was that Calzada and Gallegos were missing.
Maldonado answered with a question mark.
“She the home girl thas what I meant , have mas love for her” Echeverria wrote.
Four months after the young women turned up dead, Echeverria was arrested as a suspect in a drive-by gang shooting. Detectives put him in a cell with an undercover informant, who posed as a fellow 18th Street member. Still new to the gang, Echeverria fell for the ruse.
The informant asked Echeverria how the women he called his friends ended up in the park, according to a translation of the conversation in Spanish played in court.
“Well, we took them up there,” Echeverria said, recounting how they first shot at the women with a .22 rifle.
Community members lead a vigil in memory of Gabriella Calzada and Brianna Gallegos in November 2015 at Ernst E. Debs Regional Park.
(Los Angeles Times)
“Okay, so after you guys shot them, they didn’t completely die?” the informant asked.
“No,” Echeverria said.
“So what did you do?”
“Ah … con una piedra.” Echeverria said. “Uh … with a rock.”
They didn’t plan the killing ahead of time, Echeverria told the informant, but were provoked when one of them said, “F— 18th Street.”
Echeverria faked an alibi by taking Calzada’s phone and using her Facebook account to call himself after the killings, he told the informant.
Afterward, Echeverria said he took the phone, smashed it with a hammer until it leaked battery acid, put it in a sock and tossed it on top of Huntington Elementary School.
LAPD Det. Frank Carrillo testified that when he and his partner climbed on top of the school, they found a smashed phone inside a black sock.
Echeverria’s younger friend Pineda was also in police custody, and authorities decided to pull the same move on him. Locked up in juvenile hall, Pineda unburdened himself to an informant whom investigators arranged to be his cellmate.
According to a recording of the conversation played in court, Pineda said he feared older members of 18th Street would “greenlight” him because they had killed two young women without permission.
The gun they used had been given to someone else to get rid of, he said, and Echeverria went back to the scene with his brother to pick up the shell casings before the bodies were found. Pineda took the “big ass rock” they used to beat the girls and threw it in a nearby dumpster.
The gun, rock and casings were never found by police.
“We picked up afterwards,” Pineda told the informant.
Although both men admitted to aspects of the murder, defense attorney for Pineda, Mia Yamamoto, argued that the evidence did not show that he participated in the violence at all; instead, she painted him as an innocent bystander paralyzed by fear and implicated by a burst of violence from Echeverria.
Pineda allegedly missed three or four times with the rifle before Echeverria pulled the gun from him and shot Gallegos.
“How can you miss unless you’ve intended to miss?” Yamamoto asked.
Despite the recordings that made it seem like an open-and-shut case, the prosecutions of Echeverria and Pineda stretched on for years, winding through the L.A. County courts.
“This case took nearly 10 years to resolve due to a series of legal and procedural requirements beyond the control of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office,” the office said in a statement to The Times.
Initially filed as a death penalty case and subjected to a lengthy review, the process of seeking to try Pineda as an adult further prolonged the proceedings.
Both defendants had other cases pending that needed to be resolved before the trial began, furthering the delays, according to the D.A.’s office.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the state — and by extension, the court system. It aged the case by at least three years, said Ayvazian, the prosecutor.
Even as Echeverria and Pineda’s fate went to the jury last week, delays continued. Jurors told the court one person was holding out because they believed the jailhouse tapes should not have been permitted as evidence.
On Monday afternoon, the foreperson finally read out the verdict, finding Echeverria and Pineda guilty on two counts of murder in the first degree. The convictions, combined with charging enhancements added for the crime of “lying in wait” and committing multiple killings, will ensure life terms when when they are sentenced in December.
Families of the two victims did not respond to interview requests.
After the verdict Monday, Calzada’s mother was seen tearfully thanking the jury in Spanish. The long wait for justice was finally over.
The 22-year-old man charged with killing Charlie Kirk will have a court hearing Monday where he and his newly appointed legal counsel will decide whether they want a preliminary hearing where the judge will determine if there is enough evidence against him to go forward with a trial.Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder and plan to seek the death penalty. Video above: Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer charged with aggravated murder as FBI investigates possible accomplicesThe Utah state court system gives people accused of crimes an option to waive their legal right to a preliminary hearing and instead schedule an arraignment where they can enter a plea.Kathryn Nester, the lead attorney appointed to represent Robinson, declined to comment on the case ahead of Monday’s hearing. Prosecutors at the Utah County Attorney’s Office did not respond to email and phone messages seeking comment.The hearing in Provo is open to the public, just a few miles from the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where many students are still processing trauma from the Sept. 10 shooting and the day-and-a-half search for the suspect. Authorities arrested Robinson when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting, to turn himself in. Prosecutors have since revealed incriminating text messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing.A note that Robinson had left for his romantic partner before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters before the first hearing. Gray also said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred.”The assassination of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, has galvanized Republicans who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of moving American politics further to the right.Video below: Tyler Robinson makes first court appearance in Charlie Kirk caseTrump has declared Kirk a “martyr” for freedom and threatened to crack down on what he called the “radical left.”Workers across the country have been punished or fired for speaking out about Kirk after his death, including teachers, public and private employees and media personalities — most notably Jimmy Kimmel, who had his late-night show suspended then quickly reinstated by ABC.Kirk’s political organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, brought young, evangelical Christians into politics through his podcast, social media and campus events. Many prominent Republicans are filling in at the upcoming campus events Kirk was meant to attend, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Sen. Mike Lee at Utah State University on Tuesday.
PROVO, Utah —
The 22-year-old man charged with killing Charlie Kirk will have a court hearing Monday where he and his newly appointed legal counsel will decide whether they want a preliminary hearing where the judge will determine if there is enough evidence against him to go forward with a trial.
Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder and plan to seek the death penalty.
Video above: Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer charged with aggravated murder as FBI investigates possible accomplices
The Utah state court system gives people accused of crimes an option to waive their legal right to a preliminary hearing and instead schedule an arraignment where they can enter a plea.
Kathryn Nester, the lead attorney appointed to represent Robinson, declined to comment on the case ahead of Monday’s hearing. Prosecutors at the Utah County Attorney’s Office did not respond to email and phone messages seeking comment.
The hearing in Provo is open to the public, just a few miles from the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, where many students are still processing trauma from the Sept. 10 shooting and the day-and-a-half search for the suspect.
Authorities arrested Robinson when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting, to turn himself in. Prosecutors have since revealed incriminating text messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing.
A note that Robinson had left for his romantic partner before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters before the first hearing. Gray also said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred.”
The assassination of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, has galvanized Republicans who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of moving American politics further to the right.
Video below: Tyler Robinson makes first court appearance in Charlie Kirk case
Trump has declared Kirk a “martyr” for freedom and threatened to crack down on what he called the “radical left.”
Workers across the country have been punished or fired for speaking out about Kirk after his death, including teachers, public and private employees and media personalities — most notably Jimmy Kimmel, who had his late-night show suspended then quickly reinstated by ABC.
Kirk’s political organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, brought young, evangelical Christians into politics through his podcast, social media and campus events. Many prominent Republicans are filling in at the upcoming campus events Kirk was meant to attend, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Sen. Mike Lee at Utah State University on Tuesday.
To hear prosecutors tell it, Jose Landa-Rodriguez was public enemy No. 1.
A reputed Mexican Mafia member called “Fox,” Landa-Rodriguez was charged in three cases between 2011 and 2018. The allegations included a murder plot, overseeing rackets in the Los Angeles County jails and pursuing an alliance between his U.S. prison gang and a drug cartel from his home state of Michoacán.
Landa-Rodriguez, 60, was acquitted in one federal case. But still facing life on state charges, he struck a plea deal that will see him deported back to Mexico after serving seven more years in prison.
On Thursday, Landa-Rodriguez pleaded no contest in Los Angeles County Superior Court to making criminal threats and was sentenced to time served, his lawyer Nicholas Rosenberg said.
L.A. County prosecutors had charged that Landa-Rodriguez, while incarcerated in a federal penitentiary for illegally reentering the country, sanctioned the killing of a rival’s underling.
According to trial testimony, Landa-Rodriguez was locked in a power struggle with another reputed Mexican Mafia member, Arthur “Turi” Estrada, over who would collect money from drug sales on California prison yards.
Landa-Rodriguez used coded language in an email to order a hit on an Estrada underling, prosecutors alleged. “Do not let him get into our backyards,” he wrote, according to prosecutors.
Federal authorities alleged Landa-Rodriguez set his eyes on a racket far more lucrative than prison drug deals. In 2013, he was accused of trying to establish a methamphetamine pipeline with a cartel from his home state in western Mexico, La Familia Michoacana.
According to recorded phone calls, La Familia’s leaders feared extradition and wanted the Mexican Mafia to protect them if they ended up in U.S. prisons. In exchange, the cartel promised a bottomless supply of cheap drugs that the Mexican Mafia could sell on American streets.
Landa-Rodriguez was discussing the deal with a cartel representative in recorded prison calls when another Mexican Mafia member, Ralph “Perico” Rocha, heard about the negotiations. Facing extortion charges, Rocha had secretly cut a deal for a reduced sentence. He inserted himself into the talks, arranging meetings in a bugged office building that allowed federal agents to record every word.
Suspicious that he was working for the authorities, Landa-Rodriguez told the cartel to stay away from Rocha. They were all indicted anyway.
The case against Landa-Rodriguez and four other Mexican Mafia members was roiled when it emerged that Rocha had secretly recorded himself disparaging his government handlers. Landa-Rodriguez was acquitted of all charges in 2019.
But the verdict didn’t mean Landa-Rodriguez walked out of jail.
In 2013, prosecutors alleged in a second federal indictment, Landa-Rodriguez seized control of the Los Angeles County jail system, the country’s largest. According to prosecutors, he oversaw the lucrative schemes the Mexican Mafia uses to extract money from the 6,000 or so Latino prisoners who make up more than half of the county’s male inmate population.
Landa-Rodriguez allegedly received a one-third cut of all drug sales within the jails, leading prosecutors to dub their investigation “Operation Dirty Thirds.” He was also accused of profiting from an extortion racket called “the kitty.”
Landa-Rodriguez’s former right-hand man, Luis “Hefty” Garcia, testified in 2022 that every Latino inmate was required to contribute $1.50 worth of items — food, clothing or hygiene supplies — for every $7 spent at the commissary. The “kitty” is then resold, creating a secondary market within the jails that is cheaper than the commissary.
“It may sound like a small amount,” Garcia said, “but in the big picture, it’s a large amount of money.”
Every week, Garcia testified he collected $1,500 to $2,500 from “kitty” sales at Men’s Central Jail, $1,000 from Twin Towers and about $3,200 from the jail complex in Castaic known as Wayside, Garcia testified. This adds up to about $23,000 a month.
After seven years of litigation, hearings and the trial of a co-defendant — Landa-Rodriguez’s former lawyer — Landa-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to racketeering in March.
In his plea agreement, he admitted the Mexican Mafia engaged in murder, kidnapping, extortion, robbery and witness tampering to “promote a climate of fear” within the jails. He also acknowledged putting an unnamed rival on the “green light list” — the Mexican Mafia’s hit list — in 2015.
In a sentencing memo, lawyer Vitaly Sigal said his client has been incarcerated since 1998. When Landa-Rodriguez was last free, Sigal wrote, “Bill Clinton was the president of the United States, the internet was a relatively new concept that needed to be accessed via dial-up modem [and] the top-grossing movie in the world was Titanic.”
Sigal said Landa-Rodriguez plans to return home to Michoacán after serving his time and accepting deportation.
The cartel with which Landa-Rodriguez once negotiated, now rebranded as La Nueva Familia Michoacana, was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department in April as a foreign terrorist organization.
In August, Mexican authorities handed over Servando Gómez Martinez, a La Familia leader called “La Tuta,” to face drug trafficking charges in New York.
But according to his lawyer, Landa-Rodriguez has no interest in prison politics or transnational criminal alliances. He dreams of returning to his family’s ranch, Sigal wrote, where he lived before coming to the United States at 15, before he ever joined a South L.A. gang or knew the inside of a jail cell.
Today, “he seeks no power, status or conflict,” Sigal wrote. “Only the quiet dignity of growing old in the company of loved ones.”
The man accused of opening fire on the lobby of a Sacramento ABC television station cited the government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case as a motive and promised several members of the Trump administration would be “next,” according to a federal court filing made public Monday.
Anibal Hernandez-Santana, 64, is charged with multiple weapons offenses and interfering with a radio or communication station for firing several bullets at the window of ABC10’s offices in Sacramento around 1 p.m. on Friday, according to a criminal complaint.
Hernandez-Santana was arrested the same day as the shooting. During a search of his car, detectives found a note that read “For hiding Epstein & ignoring red flags,” according to the complaint filed by prosecutors in the Eastern District of California.
The note referenced FBI Director Kash Patel, his second-in-command Dan Bongino and U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, reading “They’re next. — C.K. from above.”
Sacramento Dist. Atty. Thien Ho said he believed the “C.K.” portion of the note was a reference to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was killed by a sniper in Utah this month. In an interview on Monday, Ho said police also found a book titled “The Cult Of Trump” in Hernandez-Santana’s vehicle.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento said she could not comment beyond what was contained in court documents.
Patel said “targeted acts of violence are unacceptable and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law,” in a post on X.
Hernandez-Santana was born in Puerto Rico and was not registered as a Republican or Democrat, according to voting records. The Trump administration has faced increasing criticism from both sides of the political spectrum to disclose more information about those who did business with Epstein, the financier charged with trafficking young girls to rich and powerful men before his death by suicide in a federal lockup in 2019.
Hernandez-Santana was a retired lobbyist, according to Ho, who said the shooting was clearly “politically motivated.”
Hernandez-Santana first registered as a lobbyist in 2001. His clients included an environmental justice group, the California Catholic Conference and the California Federation of Teachers, according to state lobbying records.
The day of the shooting, Ho said, a protest was scheduled to take place outside ABC10’s offices over their parent company’s decision to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made about the way Republicans have reacted to Kirk’s killing. Kimmel’s suspension was lifted Monday and he is expected to return to the air Tuesday,
Ho said it was clear the TV station was not a “random target.”
“When it comes to public safety it’s not about going right or left, it’s about moving forward … clearly he was motivated by current political events,” Ho said.
Hernandez-Santana did not have a significant criminal history and was not known to local law enforcement before the incident, according to the prosecutor.
Prosecutors said Hernandez-Santana fired four times at the ABC station, once near the building and three additional times at a window in the station’s lobby, according to court records. No one was injured, but there were employees inside at the time.
In addition to the message invoking members of Trump’s Cabinet, Sacramento Police detectives also found a day planner that contained a handwritten note to “Do the Next Scary Thing,” on the date of the attack, court records show.
In a court filing seeking to deny Hernandez-Santana bail, federal prosecutors said the note referencing Patel, Bongino and Bondi “indicates that he may have been planning additional acts of violence.”
Ho has also charged Santana-Hernandez with assault with a firearm and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. He was expected to make court appearances in both cases on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Santana-Hernandez faces five years in federal prison and an additional 17 years in state prison if convicted as charged, according to Ho.
“When someone brazenly fires into a news station full of people in the middle of the day, it is not only an attack on innocent employees but also an attack on the news media and our community’s sense of safety,” Ho said in a statement.
Times staff writer Laura Nelson and researcher Cary Schneider contributed to this report.
Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.”The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.”That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”Parents said their son became more politicalWhile authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete textsRobinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyoneFBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.”We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
PROVO, Utah —
Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”
DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.
Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.
Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.
FBI
Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination
Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?
Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.
The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.
“That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.
Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.
Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”
Parents said their son became more political
While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.
Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.
Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.
Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.
The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.
Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.
Robinson detailed movements after the shooting
In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”
Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”
He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.
“To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.
Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete texts
Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.
Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.
Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyone
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.
“We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.
The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.
Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.
Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.
In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.
Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.
Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.”The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.”That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”Parents said their son became more politicalWhile authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete textsRobinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyoneFBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.”We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
PROVO, Utah —
Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”
DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.
The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.
Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.
Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.
FBI
Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination
Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?
Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.
The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.
“That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.
Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.
Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”
Parents said their son became more political
While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.
Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.
Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.
Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.
The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.
Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.
Robinson detailed movements after the shooting
In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”
Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”
He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.
“To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.
Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete texts
Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.
Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.
Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyone
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.
“We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.
The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.
Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.
Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.
In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.
Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.
