Nearly 200 Utah Students Awarded State-Funded Mental Health Benefits After Witnessing Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Nearly 200 who witnessed the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk have been approved to have the cost of their mental health treatment covered by taxpayer funds.Those approved by the Utah Office for Victims of Crime will be compensated for up to 25 mental health sessions received since the September 10, 2025, assassination. The state has filed a restitution notice to reserve its right to recover those costs from the accused shooter, Tyler Robinson, should he be convicted. Kirk was shot and killed during a Turning Point USA rally at Utah Valley University at Orem, Utah. While he was the sole fatality, thousands were present at the outdoor event where he was the keynote speaker when the shooting occurred. In the days that followed, at least 500 attendees contacted the Utah Office for Victims of Crime seeking compensation for trauma-related expenses, including mental health counseling. The director of Utah’s Office for Victims of Crime, Chyleen Richey, told The New York Sun that 173 were approved based on a set of criteria, developed by her office, the FBI, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, federal agencies, the Red Cross, and victim advocates.“It’s not just that you were present at the event, you had to be in the actual zone of danger. So that was determined to be in the first few rows, and those people were screened by the FBI, and if they met that criteria, they were sent over to our staff to be able to sign up,” Ms. Richey said.Others who did not qualify for the benefits were also offered services, said Ms. Richey, who has worked three decades in criminal justice. She said some “were sent off to crisis counselors or to the Department of Health and Human Services.” The Utah Office for Victims of Crime received more than $24 million in state and federal funding in fiscal year 2025, disbursing nearly $7 million to crime victims across the state. The total cost of support services for qualified recipients has not been assessed yet, she said, and those in the program will need to submit receipts for any treatments they receive.Court documents obtained by TMZ confirm that at least one witness, Dana Anquoe, has already had therapy costs covered by the state — $260 paid by the Utah Office for Victims of Crime. Mr. Robinson, 22, faces charges including aggravated murder and six additional counts. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 1. Criminologist James Densley said the true scope of the shooting’s psychological impact is likely far greater than the numbers suggest.“I think that that number is not a measure of the extent of the harm,” Mr. Densley, chairman of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Minnesota’s Metro State University and deputy director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center, told KUER radio in Utah. “It’s really just a measure of those who’ve been able to navigate the legal system to file a claim.”Mr. Densley noted that the demographics of those present — predominantly conservative and male — may further suppress the number of people seeking help. “These are the groups that are less likely to say out loud that they’re struggling,” he said.

Nearly 200 Utah Students Awarded State-Funded Mental Health Benefits After Witnessing Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Nearly 200 Utah Students Awarded State-Funded Mental Health Benefits After Witnessing Charlie Kirk’s Murder

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