ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman faced a wave of criticism on Wednesday after he described as “very touching” a set of text messages that prosecutors say were sent by the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, remarks the reporter made while covering the announcement of capital charges in Utah and later elaborated on during an ABC livestream. Gutman’s characterisation referred to messages that authorities say Tyler Robinson, 22, sent to his roommate and romantic partner in the hours surrounding the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University; the exchanges, prosecutors allege, include admissions of responsibility, a stated motive and instructions to delete evidence. “I don’t think I’ve 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?” Gutman said on ABC’s livestream after the court filing and briefing. On air, he also called the texts “a very intimate portrait into this relationship,” noting that Robinson referred to his partner as “my love.”
The remarks drew swift rebukes from politicians and media figures across social platforms. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote “Legacy media in all its glory,” while commentator Meghan McCain posted, “Is everyone @ABC out of their minds?!” and Republican senator Jim Banks asked, “Wait, what???” ABC News did not immediately comment when asked by multiple outlets. Critics said the phrasing risked romanticising communications that prosecutors have presented as evidence of premeditation and confession.
The texts at the centre of the controversy became public as Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray filed seven felony counts against Robinson, including aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, and announced his intent to seek the death penalty. Prosecutors allege Robinson fired a single rifle round from a rooftop roughly 200 yards from Kirk’s lectern during an outdoor Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem, fatally striking the 31-year-old in the neck. Robinson appeared by video from jail for an initial hearing on Tuesday, spoke only to confirm his name, and was ordered held without bond; a preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 29.
Charging materials and officials’ briefings describe a sequence of messages and notes that prosecutors say trace the planning, execution and aftermath of the shooting. According to the filings, Robinson told his roommate on the day of the attack to “drop what you’re doing, look under my keyboard,” where the roommate found a note reading, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” In subsequent exchanges after the shot was fired, Robinson allegedly wrote, “I am, I’m sorry,” when asked if he was the gunman, and added, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” statements that prosecutors have cited as evidence of motive and intent. Investigators say Robinson also told the roommate he had been planning the attack for “a little over a week” and instructed them to delete messages and avoid speaking with police or the media.
ABC News’ straight-news report on the charges detailed many of the same exchanges and noted prosecutors’ account that Robinson’s parents confronted him after recognising images of the suspect, leading to his surrender. That report also summarised a state narrative that the roommate—whom officials have described as transitioning and a romantic partner—found the note beneath the keyboard and later received messages in which Robinson allegedly admitted responsibility and set out his rationale. The ABC article quoted the line, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” and said the roommate was cooperating with authorities.
Gutman’s contentious phrasing came as he described, live on ABC, the juxtaposition of those alleged admissions with expressions of affection in the same message stream. In a segment flagged widely by rival outlets, he told viewers the case revealed a “duality” between the state’s depiction of a calculated killing “in front of children,” cited by prosecutors as an aggravating factor, and the suspect’s tender language toward the partner receiving his texts. In the network’s livestream, he reiterated that the messages were “touching” and “intimate” even as they were “apparently allegedly self-incriminating,” language that critics seized upon as inappropriate.
Conservative media and aggregators amplified the clip across platforms. A Fox News write-up quoted Gutman’s lines and compiled reactions from elected officials and commentators; the New York Post similarly transcribed portions of his on-air remarks and the follow-on livestream, noting that ABC declined to comment when asked about the backlash. Yahoo and other syndicators also carried summaries of the controversy as it spread, with video segments circulating that showed Gutman referencing the texts’ “intimate portrait” of the relationship.
The messages themselves are likely to be a central evidentiary pillar as the case moves forward. In addition to the note under the keyboard and the post-shooting exchanges, prosecutors told the court they recovered communications in which Robinson discussed the weapon—described as a family rifle—and worried about retrieving it after allegedly abandoning it in brush near the scene. A laboratory analysis linking Robinson’s DNA to the rifle’s trigger is among the tests the state says supports its case. Prosecutors have also pointed to a series of posts on the Discord platform in which the suspect purportedly wrote two hours before surrendering, “It was me at UVU yesterday,” acknowledgements that federal authorities say are part of a broader digital-forensics review.
The public airing of the texts came during a press conference in Provo that coincided with Robinson’s first court appearance and has been replayed repeatedly as networks and websites dissected the language. Authorities said the roommate—identified in some outlets as transitioning but unnamed in court papers—had a romantic relationship with Robinson and was cooperating with investigators. In charging documents, prosecutors described domestic tensions around the relationship and politics, summarising statements from Robinson’s mother that he had become “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented” over the past year and that his father held “very different political views.”
Law-enforcement officials have said the shot endangered a large crowd and that the charges reflect aggravating factors under Utah law, including risk to children present at the event. In announcing the state’s intent to pursue capital punishment, Gray said the decision was based “solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime,” while federal authorities indicated they are assessing whether any additional charges are appropriate. The decision to televise and read the messages in detail during the briefing—rather than reserving them for filings alone—contributed to the volume of reaction that followed.
The backlash to Gutman’s wording is the latest episode placing the ABC correspondent under intense scrutiny. In 2020, the network suspended him after he erroneously reported on air that all four of Kobe Bryant’s daughters were on the helicopter that crashed in California; he later apologised on air and on social media, and was reinstated. He has since written a memoir on managing panic and anxiety while reporting. Those biographical details resurfaced online as critics demanded discipline, though ABC has not commented publicly on his latest remarks.
Robinson’s case has unfolded amid a politically charged national atmosphere and extensive coverage by mainstream and partisan outlets alike. Reuters reported that prosecutors will argue the killing was politically motivated and eligible for the death penalty, citing the alleged confessional texts and evidence that the act was planned for more than a week. The Washington Post said Robinson appeared calm and largely silent during his initial hearing, where a judge appointed counsel and scheduled further proceedings. ABC’s straight-news coverage added that President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, suggested Robinson had been radicalised online, while FBI Director Kash Patel told senators the bureau was investigating everyone connected to the Discord chats.
The broadening public record around the messages provides a clearer window into what prosecutors say will be a central narrative at trial: that the texts both incriminate and illuminate, containing language of affection for the partner alongside a stated justification for violence and instructions to obstruct justice. One exchange quoted by prosecutors has Robinson writing, “I’m much more worried about you,” as he indicates he will surrender, followed by a request that the roommate delete their chats and refuse to speak to police or the media. Against that backdrop, Gutman’s on-air decision to characterise parts of the same stream as “very touching” catalysed criticism from figures who said a murder case is not the place for such framing.
While the argument over tone and language played out online, the legal case tightened on procedural rails. Robinson, who prosecutors say was identified after relatives recognised him in surveillance images distributed by police, remains held without bond under a suicide-prevention watch protocol. The next stage will see the state present evidence sufficient to bind the case over for trial, a threshold that often turns on whether the lab work, digital extractions and witness accounts cohere. Prosecutors say they will continue to rely on the alleged note found under the keyboard, the subsequent exchanges captured on the roommate’s device and the forensic ties to the rifle, while the defence is expected to scrutinise chain-of-custody and the acquisition of digital evidence.
For the Kirk family and for Turning Point USA, the organisation he co-founded, the focus remains on the criminal proceedings and on memorials that have drawn thousands of supporters. In the short term, the most visible media subplot is whether ABC responds to the pressure around its correspondent’s comments; for now, the only official responses on record are prosecutors’ filings and the court’s scheduling orders, while the clip of Gutman’s characterisation continues to circulate. The controversy underscores the frictions that can arise when reporters narrate evidence in real time, particularly when the material is both emotionally charged and, according to the state, central to proving guilt in a capital case.
As the case advances toward its preliminary hearing, the words recorded in the state’s filings are likely to remain the lens through which the public understands it—both the messages prosecutors say show planning and motive and the affectionate language that has become the latest flashpoint in a debate over media tone. Gray’s office says it will proceed “to the fullest extent of the law,” while defence counsel has yet to outline a strategy beyond securing discovery and preparing to challenge the evidence. For his part, Gutman has not publicly retracted or clarified the language that prompted the backlash. The text messages—read aloud by officials, quoted in charging documents and replayed by networks—continue to anchor both the criminal case in Utah and the parallel argument over how journalists should describe them.