US3 min(s) read
Published 10:26 10 Jul 2026 GMT
The NSFW joke which was engraved on the ammo allegedly used to assassinate activist Charlie Kirk has been revealed in court.
Tyler Robinson, who has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, listened in during a preliminary hearing in a Utah courthouse on Thursday (July 9).
The suspect's legal team had recently argued that prosecutors should face sanctions for allegedly violating a gag order by discussing the case publicly, with the latest update linked to the death penalty.
While a judge would agree with this, the possibility of the death penalty remained on the table.
Robinson was arrested just two days after gunning down the Turning Point USA founder during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, and had been held without bail.
The case is yet to go to trial, but the preliminary hearing has revealed more about the murder case.
The hunting rifle which was recovered near Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed on September 10, was loaded with a round.
According to evidence presented at a preliminary hearing, the spent round read: “Notices Bulge/OwO/What’s This?”
An exchange which was shown to the court revealed that Robinson had texted his partner, Lance Twiggs, known to friends as Luna, writing: “If I see ‘uwu notices bulge’ on fox new [sic] I might have a stroke.”
This engraving is a common meme which is used in LGBTQ+ and "furry" subculture, referencing being surprised by genitalia when someone is dressed up in a costume or in drag.
The term will be familiar to those who are heavy social media users, though other recovered ammunition revealed different messages.
One referenced a popular video game, reading “Hey fascist, catch!” including arrows for code to summon a bomb in video game Helldivers 2.
An officer with the Utah State Board of Investigation testified that another read: "If you read this you are gay," with another having the words “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao,” a reference to an anti-fascist Italian song.
These images were shown during the preliminary hearing to determine if Robinson will stand trial for the assassination of the right-wing podcaster in September 2025.
Photos shown to the court showed Robinson allegedly admitting to killing Kirk with his grandfather's rifle.
Twiggs was shown acknowledging the texts earlier in the day in a video, describing an emotional confession from Robinson from their apartment, to secure limited immunity.
Robinson had asked Twiggs to engrave shell casings up to a month before Kirk's death, though he thought it was for an upcoming hunting trip.
Parts of the video were redacted when played in court, despite Charlie Kirk's widow Erika pushing for the full version to be shown.
According to Twiggs, Robinson returned to their apartment the day after the shooting and confirmed what he had told him in text messages the previous night.
"I just asked him in person if what he said was true the night before and he said it was. He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn't done it and then kept going around and just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted or something," Twiggs said, per BBC News.
Twiggs also told investigators that Robinson intended to turn himself in. Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent Brian Davis testified that Robinson arrived at the Washington County Sheriff's Office at about 9:00PM on September 11 with his parents and a family friend, where he was arrested.
