Inside Kirk's 'Assassin' Tyler Robinson's Spiral: How He Went From Being 'The Good Son' in an All-MAGA Family to 'Withdrawing' From Friends — and Why He 'Struggled With Life After High School'
Robinson's personality changes were noted by friends and neighbors.
Sept. 15 2025, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Friends and family of Tyler Robinson are struggling to figure out how he went on a downward spiral from high-achieving high school student to Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Robinson, 22, grew up in a tight-knit conservative family in Southern Utah, but his beliefs began to change as he entered adulthood and his once-promising future descended into a reclusive life where he became a withdrawn gamer whom his neighbors barely knew.
'Our Pride and Joy'
Robinson's mom was so proud of his academic achievements.
Robinson graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021. His mom, Amber Jones Robinson, shared a Facebook video at the time of how her son received a $32,000 university scholarship, wiping away tears and gushing: "He has always been our pride and joy since he was little."
He was a pre-engineering major at Utah State University before leaving after his first semester in 2021. Robinson was attending a local trade school to become an electrician at the time of Kirk's assassination.
"It’s really sad that someone with his mind put it to that sort of use," former high school classmate Keaton Brooksby told the New York Times about Robinson.
Promising Student
Robinson was described as a shy but successful high school student.
Jones Robinson quickly erased all of her photos from Facebook following her son's arrest, but not before one revealed that Robinson graduated from middle school with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
The proud mom later bragged that her son was taking Advanced Placement calculus, in addition to college-level classes, while in high school, in an August 2020 Facebook post.
Jaida Funk, 22, knew Robinson from elementary school through their high school graduation. She told the Times they were both on the honor roll and he was "respectful, hardworking, and smart."
“He’s the kind of kid that even if you are not friends, you’d ask him to be in your group project,” she said. "He’s someone you’d expect to get the award for perfect attendance."
While Robinson wasn't in the popular crowd, he was well-liked, according to Funk.
"The way he carries himself and speaks to others. I thought he’d be a C.E.O. or a businessman. He had good leadership qualities."
'He’d Never Talk to Anybody'
Robinson didn't get to know any of his neighbors while attending a tech school.
By the time Robinson was a third-year student in an electrical apprenticeship program, he was living in St. George with his roommate, Lance Twiggs, who is reportedly transitioning from male to female.
Authorities are looking into whether Kirk's outspoken views on gender identity had anything to do with the assassination. Twiggs has reportedly been quite cooperative with the investigation.
Robinson's anti-social behavior wasn't lost on his neighbors.
"He'd never talk to anybody. He’d always blast music with his roommate," said neighbor Josh Kemp, 18, who lived across from Robinson's apartment.
Brooksby said the last time they ran into Robinson at a local Walmart, he didn't want to catch up and had grown more shy and introverted.
Fellow gamer Sam New told the publication that Robinson had become withdrawn.
"He seemed to have not really have talked to as many people," New said. "He lost contact with a lot of us."
Robinson 'Didn't Like' Kirk
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Robinson's father reportedly helped turn in his son after seeing his photo being ID'd as the prime suspect in Kirk's murder.
Robinson was taken into custody after being turned in by family members after photos of the shooting suspect were released on September 11, a day after Kirk's assassination on the Utah State University campus, where the conservative firebrand was shot in the neck while holding one of his famed debates.
"A family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident," Utah Governor Spencer Cox revealed at a news conference.
"Investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson who stated that Robinson had become more political in recent years, Cox continued.
"The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to September 10, and in that conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had," referring to the alleged assassin.
