Those who watched Tyler Robinson grow from a wide-eyed schoolboy to an accused assassin told the Mirror their memories bear no resemblance to the cold-faced suspect now known to the world
Charlie Kirk: Jaida Funk an ex classmate of Tyler Robinson shares school memories
Flicking through his school yearbooks, classmates of suspected Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson tell how they believed he would be a “billionaire by the age of 25”.
Instead, they are today coming to terms with how three years before he reached such an achievement, he went from a talented scholarship winner to America’s most wanted. The boy who once grinned from school yearbooks, a bright-eyed lad from a respectable, hard-working Mormon home, now stares back at America from a grim mugshot – the hollow-eyed face of an accused political assassin. Now, if found guilty, he could even face the death penalty, after his anguished father turned him in to the police.
Neighbours and old friends in the conservative heartland of southern Utah have been left reeling, struggling to reconcile the smiling boy-next-door they knew with the man now branded a murderer. Raised in a God-fearing Republican household, Robinson grew up in the tight-knit city of St. George – a place where families worship, hunt, and raise their children to play by the rules. His childhood was stitched together with comic books, video games and Sunday services.
But authorities say the former Pine View Middle School pupil transformed, steeped in politics, radicalised, and fuelled by a loathing of Kirk – the right-wing firebrand who drew huge crowds across the country.
Now, those he grew up with, Robinson, who knew him as he went from an innocent boy to a suspect killer, have spoken to the Mirror. Their memories are in stark contrast to how the world now views him.
Jaida Funk, 22, who went to elementary and middle school with the suspect, described Robinson as an excellent student, holding the personality of a teacher’s pet, always on time, respectful, hardworking, and smart. “Tyler was just always being a kind, genuine, respectable guy,” she said. “He was the kind of student that any teacher wanted in his class. Respectful to peers, classmates, friends, adults, and authority figures.
“He was always very sharp and very smart and the type of kid that liked school. I wouldn’t say he was popular, but well known, and I say he was queit but not quiet in a weird way, just quiet enough that he kept himself in his inner circle, but he had the confidence to speak to any teacher, any adult, and the popular kids in the hallway.”
She then added: “He was probably one of the most unlikely of all the kids in the school to carry out what you suspected of carrying out.”
When asked what happened to Robinson to change into a suspected killer, she replied: “I know Charlie’s a very bold individual. He’s a little bit controversial, some might say, so I don’t know if he happened to say something that just really triggered Tyler, and that’s kind of what transpired. I don’t know if he went through something.
“But from what I know about him from kindergarten through early high school, I just thought of him as maybe being a businessman or like a CEO or being a billionaire by 25, not now a suspected assassin.”
Keaton Brooksby, 22, holds similar views. “It’s really sad that someone with his mind put it to that sort of use,” said the former classmate, who still can’t believe the boy he once sat beside is now accused of pulling the trigger in America’s most shocking political killing in years.
Police say Robinson confided in relatives about Kirk before the shooting, complaining he was “full of hate and spreading hate.” Yet to many, Robinson seemed anything but hateful. Quiet, bookish and clever, he impressed classmates with his command of world affairs. Brooksby remembers a high school lunch when the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks came up. While other kids shuffled their feet, Robinson launched into detail after detail.
“He gave us a whole spiel on what happened,” Brooksby said. “I just remember thinking, he’s got a lot of information on this for someone who’s 14.”
For a boy so politically aware, Robinson’s public record is almost blank. He registered to vote, but never once cast a ballot. He belonged to no party. If he held convictions, they brewed quietly behind closed doors. His parents, however, are dyed-in-the-wool Republicans – outdoor types with hunting licences and a love of the wilderness that surrounds Utah’s Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. Family photos show Tyler and his two younger brothers smiling with rifles, posing on shooting trips, the all-American picture of a patriotic household.
The boy, once hailed for his brains, won a scholarship to Utah State University but lasted just one semester before drifting into work as an apprentice electrician. There was nothing then to hint at the darkness ahead. No criminal record. No outbursts. No flashing warning lights. Just a quiet lad with a sharp mind and a love of video games.
And yet, somewhere along the way, Robinson veered off the tracks. Now he is accused of assassinating Kirk in front of stunned students at Utah Valley University, a calculated killing that has thrown America into turmoil.