Days after Matt Robinson turned in Tyler Robinson to authorities over Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting, rumours started spreading on social media about the father pledging to donate the reward money he allegedly received to the conservative influencer's wife Erika née Frantzve.
The FBI had announced that information leading to Tyler Robinson's arrest would be rewarded $100,000. Bill Ackman pledged $1 million while Alex Bruesewitz and Robby Starbuck offered $25,000 each. This reportedly takes the total reward money offered to around $1.5 million. However, there is no confirmation that Matt Robinson would be paid this whopping amount.
Amid this confusion, a post by Cowboys Fan Hub on Facebook quoted Matt Robinson as allegedly saying, "My son wronged the Kirk family, and it’s my responsibility to help him face that mistake. The money is enormous, but it’s not meant for me. I want it to go to the Kirk family instead." The post was shared by thousands of users.
Several other posts also made similar claims. But fact-checking website Snopes pointed out that Matt Robinson has not made any such announcements, adding that the viral quote of Tyler's father was fabricated.
Responding to whether Matt Robinson should be given the reward, Ackman said, "First, in order for rewards to be effective in finding criminals, the rewards need to be paid even if the recipient is a crook or worse. That said, in this case, if Tyler’s father is found to have been involved or otherwise acted negligently in contributing to Charlie’s death, civil litigation or criminal prosecution will reverse any unjust compensation."