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OREM, Utah – As Utah Valley University students returned to campus following conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination, those who spoke to Fox News Digital were divided over whether Tyler Robinson should face the death penalty.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced on Tuesday that Utah prosecutors would seek the death penalty against Robinson on multiple charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
“I think it’s totally necessary,” Ryder Warner, a UVU student who was entering the courtyard when Kirk was shot last Wednesday, said of a potential death penalty against Robinson.
Warner told Fox News Digital that, as a Christian, he didn’t believe in taking another human’s life, but “with this situation, where somebody was just here to share an opinion and lost their life because of their opinion, I think that whoever took their life should be killed, too.”
“I think that’s only fair,” he said.
CHARLIE KIRK’S KILLING AT UTAH UNIVERSITY PROMPTS SCRUTINY OF SECURITY MEASURES
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to UVU students last Wednesday, Sept. 10. After a 33-hour manhunt, Robinson was arrested for allegedly assassinating Kirk. Gray outlined the formal charges against Robinson during a press conference on Tuesday, which was followed by the suspect’s first court appearance.
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Afton Miller, a junior at UVU who said she was 5 to 10 feet away from Kirk when he was shot, said Robinson facing the death penalty “hurts a little bit.”
“I’m pro-life,” Miller said. “I believe that somebody deserves to live, but in moments like this, it’s very hard that their family is also losing their son as well. It’s just as painful to lose somebody.”
She said it was “extremely traumatic” to witness the assassination of one of her “greatest heroes” on her college campus.
UVU student Jessie Ball, who was also on campus when Kirk was assassinated, said last week’s tragedy inspired her to use her voice and speak up like Kirk did.
“It’s a hard thing to watch, and as people who probably didn’t see the signs coming, it has to be heartbreaking,” Ball said. “I know my family and I will be praying for them to feel God’s love and the peace through it, but his actions have consequences, and they have a lasting impact, and if that’s what the state agreed on…”
James Whitney, another UVU student, told Fox News Digital that “they found the gun in my parents’ backyard.” According to Robinson’s charging documents, investigators found a “bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel” in a wooded area on the northeast end of campus, but authorities have not confirmed the exact location.
Whitney said it was “scary” returning to campus. He said he typically tries to stay out of politics because political violence is “becoming normalized.”
“I don’t agree with what happened here,” Whitney said. “I don’t think any human being ever deserves to have that kind of hate taken out on their life, ever, including in front of their kids. With the death penalty, I mean, a lot of people here are religious. What would Jesus do?” Whitney asked.
And while Whitney emphasized that he didn’t agree with what Robinson did, “especially on my own school grounds,” the UVU student said he didn’t “condone any sort of death in any sort of way,” as the Utah County attorney seeks the death penalty.
Meanwhile, Trae Stevens, who is not a UVU student but said he grew up about an hour’s drive south and was visiting the campus on Tuesday to pay his respects, told Fox News Digital it’s “fair” for Robinson to face the death penalty.
“I think it’s sad for anybody to die,” Stevens said. “It’s a crazy situation and just to see how it’s affected almost the entire world and that this one man could have such evil in his heart. It’s sad, but I think it’s fair, yes.”
UVU classes resumed on Wednesday, one week after Kirk’s assassination. The campus began reopening on Monday as students and locals visited campus to pay their respects to Kirk by leaving flowers and posters.
An American flag is now hanging inside the UVU courtyard, where Kirk was standing when he was shot.
The campus is planning a “Vigil for Unity” on Friday for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to gather in “remembering, healing and reaffirming shared values.”
“This attack was not just on an individual, but on the spirit of free expression, civil discourse, and intellectual inquiry that sits at the very foundation of our university,” UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez said in a statement. “The violence that occurred on our campus has shaken us deeply. We remain steadfast in our commitment to learning, dialogue, and the values that unite us, even in times of grief. Together we choose hope for the future, and care for each other during this time.”
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