Internet sleuths digging into the life of Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, have now claimed that he is autistic. A viral video appearing to show Robinson reciting a letter from Utah State University offering him a four-year merit scholarship triggered the speculation.
The video shows Robinson reading, “Congratulations. You have been selected to receive the resident presidential scholarship from Utah State University. The value of this scholarship is approximately $32,000. This scholarship is available for four years or eight semesters.”
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Anyone familiar with autism will recognize immediately that Tyler Robinson is on the spectrum. I have no doubt he was ideologically hijacked and groomed by academia into trans, ANTIFA and socialist violence. It’s time to start designating leftist groups as terrorists.”
Another X post made the same claim, pointing to the writings found on Robinson’s bullet shells, including “Bella Ciao” and “Notices bulge OwO what’s this?” “If you have an autistic kid in your family you know that Robinson has it, and he has been spending too much time on his computer,” the post reads.
{{/usCountry}}Another X post made the same claim, pointing to the writings found on Robinson’s bullet shells, including “Bella Ciao” and “Notices bulge OwO what’s this?” “If you have an autistic kid in your family you know that Robinson has it, and he has been spending too much time on his computer,” the post reads.
{{/usCountry}}Several other posts contained similar speculations. Here’s a look:
However, authorities have said nothing about Robinson being autistic. HindustanTimes.com could not independently verify the claim either.
What Tyler Robinson’s acquaintances have said
The video of Robinson reciting the letter from Utah State University was filmed after he graduated from high school in 2021. However, he left the state school after just a semester He took a leave of absence and never returned, CNN reported.
People close to Robinson have now opened up about him, with an electrician who worked with him on a job just a few weeks ago describing him as a shy presence who “wasn’t talkative unless he was spoken to,” according to CNN.
Robinson “didn’t really talk political… unless someone brought it up,” the person said, adding that “he wasn’t too fond of Trump or Charlie (Kirk).”
However, one of Robinson’s former classmates told the outlet that years ago, Robinson was politically conservative, and supported Trump ahead of the 2020 election. “When I knew him and his family, they were like diehard Trump,” said the former classmate. “When this happened, I was like… I don’t know what changed.”
Per voter registration records, Robinson is registered to vote unaffiliated with any party, he never cast a ballot.
The former classmate said Robinson was “very, very big into gaming,” and was interested in video game design. Robinson, along with his friends, “would spend their lunches playing the card games and all that kind of stuff,” he added.