An ABC reporter has sparked uproar after calling the text messages between Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, and his partner "touching".
The 21-year-old was arrested two days after the assassination of the right-wing influencer at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
The incident occurred shortly after Kirk, 31, made comments about gun violence in response to a question about mass shootings.
According to videos from the scene, an audience member asked: "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?" to which Kirk replied: "Too many."
The person then said there had been five in 10 years and asked the Trump ally how many mass shooters there had been in that time. "Counting or not counting gang violence?" was Kirk's reply.
Then a single shot rang out, and the late conservative collapsed in his chair with blood pouring from the wound.
Revealing Text Messages
On Tuesday (September 16), ABC News unveiled text messages between Robinson and his romantic partner/roommate, who is transitioning, during a press conference.
According to BBC reports, the messages allegedly included a chilling confession from Robinson: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it.”
The shocked roommate responded: "What?????????????? You're joking, right????" to which Robinson allegedly replied: "I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet".
He then allegedly said: "Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you."
Gutman’s Emotional Interpretation Draws Criticism
After ABC's Gutman read aloud a series of texts, he described it as "touching in a way that many of us didn’t expect".
“A very intimate portrait into this relationship between the suspect’s roommate and the suspect himself,” he added.
The ABC correspondent further explored the “duality” in Robinson’s behavior: “The attorney said [Robinson] not only jeopardized the life of Charlie Kirk and the crowd, but was doing it in front of children, which is one of the aggravating circumstances of this case.
"And then, on the other hand, he was, you know, speaking so lovingly about his partner. So a very interesting, riveting press conference," he added.
Further Comments Fuel Criticism
Later on ABC News' livestream platform, Gutman doubled down on his earlier interpretation, calling the texts both incriminating and emotional.
“I don’t think I ever experienced a press conference in which we’ve read text messages that are A - so fulsome, so robust, so apparently allegedly self-incriminating and yet, on the other hand, so touching, right?” he said, cited by The New York Post.
“And the terminology he used, he was trying to protect him. He kept calling him ‘my love.’ ‘My reason for doing this is to protect you,’ you know, but also asking him to delete the messages and not speak to law enforcement.
“So, there’s this heartbreaking duality that we’re seeing very tragically playing out,” Gutman added.
Backlash from the Public
Gutman's comments triggered swift and intense backlash on social media.
One person on X called it "appalling," while another chimed in: "I can’t believe what [im] watching. This guys is a disgrace."
A third shared: "This is insane! Robinson been accused of murdering Kirk, and ABC News decides to focus on his 'very touching' messages to his boyfriend. Unbelievable..."
Robinson now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder - a charge that could carry the death penalty.
According to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray, the shooting is believed to have been politically motivated and occurred in the presence of Kirk’s children.
Additional charges include felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice for allegedly disposing of a rifle and clothing, two counts of witness tampering related to his roommate, and committing a violent offense in front of a child.