'Tyler Robinson hid dark secret in perfect suburb before Charlie Kirk shooting'

Standing close to the sprawling six-bedroom house where suspected Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson lived with his parents, it is hard to believe that evil could have darkened its door.

The quiet street is the sort of place where families gather on porches, where kids ride bikes in cul-de-sacs, and where neighbours talk proudly of raising their children in the “right way” - God-fearing, tight-knit, safe. Yet behind the walls of this two-storey suburban home, authorities say 22-year-old Robinson harboured a hatred so deep it drove him to assassinate Kirk.

Neighbours here are stunned. They describe barbecues, carol singing at Christmas, and a family that never seemed anything other than wholesome. His mother, Amber, works helping disabled people, and his father, Matt, works in construction.

READ MORE: Charlie Kirk dead UPDATES: Tyler Robinson mugshot released by FBI after dad turns him in

READ MORE: Tyler Robinson mugshot released by FBI as Charlie Kirk shooting suspect arrested

Social media paints the same picture - smiling selfies, family holidays, a proud mum calling her son a “genius” when he won a scholarship to Utah State University. But what they didn’t see was what was festering behind closed doors.

Sources say Robinson confessed to his father after the shooting, who then told a clergy member, who told the police.

I watch as kids cycle past this £480,000 home, their parents ushering them now inside as police stand outside, whispering about how shocked they are that “Tyler” could have “changed” in recent years.

Governor Spencer Cox confirmed that the family told investigators their son had become increasingly political, openly voicing loathing for Kirk. That loathing now stands accused of exploding into murder.

FBI agents revealed that shell casings left at the scene carried bizarre engravings – anti-fascist slogans, mocking messages, and even the words “Hey Fascists, Catch!” scratched into the metal. Investigators also uncovered Discord chats in which Robinson allegedly bragged about retrieving a rifle from a “drop point” and dumping it in the bushes after the hit.

The picture jars with the sweet snapshots on his mother’s Facebook page – including one from 2017 of Tyler grinning in a Donald Trump Halloween costume. What turned the boy-next-door into a killer?

His scholarship at Utah State University lasted only a semester. Friends say he drifted, withdrawn, spending more time online, less time at church. Whatever poison he absorbed, it seems to have metastasised here in suburbia.

Robinson was taken into custody around 11pm on Thursday night, some 260 miles from where Kirk was gunned down. Governor Cox announced the arrest with blunt words: “We got him.” Prosecutors say he will face the death penalty if convicted.

The thought that his father could have sent his own boy to the death chamber is chilling. Standing here now, the house looks almost ordinary.

It is an area where basketball hoops stand in driveways and children play without a care in the world. Neighbours who once waved to Robinson are now destined to cross the street. One woman told me, “You never think it’ll be the boy from the nice family down the road. We all thought they were good people.”

It’s that contradiction that sticks: a Mormon household built on faith, duty, and service - producing a son who, according to police, stalked and shot one of America’s most recognisable right-wing figures.

Robinson’s home sits in the perfect American suburb – and the perfect place to hide the darkest secret.