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Did convicted killer Bryan Kohberger's sister, Melissa Kohberger, write a book about his murder of University of Idaho students that is for sale on Amazon? No, that's not true: The attorney for the Kohberger family told Lead Stories that Melissa Kohberger has not published anything relevant to her brother's case. Amazon told Lead Stories the book has been removed for…

Did Tyler Robinson, the man arrested for shooting Charlie Kirk in Utah, donate money to the Trump campaign in 2020? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke with the Tyler Robinson who owned the property that was listed as the address on the federal records for the donation to the Trump campaign. That Tyler Robinson confirmed he is 35 years…

Did singers Dolly Parton, Adam Lambert, Elton John, Barry Gibb, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, sports figures Sam Pittman, Cade Klubnik, or Marc Marquez honor Charlie Kirk by calling for a moment of silence or by attending his funeral? No, that's not true: Social posts and articles claiming that these celebrities reacted to the killing of Kirk on September…

Is Tyler Robinson, the suspect in custody for the shooting of Charlie Kirk, a Republican? No, that's not true: Voter registration records in Utah show he chose to vote neither as a Democrat nor as a Republican. He registered as "Unaffiliated." The claim appeared in a September 12, 2025 Facebook post (archived here) on the whitesarahh account under the title:…

Was "The Shooting Of Charlie Kirk" book published by "Anastasia J. Casey" the day before Kirk was shot and killed in Utah? No, that's not true: An Amazon spokesperson told Lead Stories the title was published in the late afternoon on September 10, 2025, and the date of September 9, 2025, that appeared on the website for the book was…

Was a Secret Service agent standing with Donald Trump after he was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, also standing close to Charlie Kirk when he was fatally shot in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025? No, that's not true: The male Secret Service agent holding Trump's left arm as Trump raised his right fist in the air…

Was the FBI the source for crisp, clear video a social media post distributed, saying it showed a person sought by the FBI in its investigation of the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: The real images released by the FBI were grainy pictures from security camera footage. The person who posted the high-resolution video has…

Did Jalen Hurts, Travis Kelce, Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Malik Nabers, Jordan Love, and other NFL stars each donate $300,000 to Charlie Kirk's family? No, that's not true: Facebook posts claiming that these American football players reacted to the killing of Kirk on September 10, 2025, with big donations and statements of support are generated by AI tools.…

Did the media report Charlie Kirk was shot dead by an iGaming influencer named Felix Roemer? No, that's not true: That story originated on a website that published nothing but made up stories about a man named "Felix Roemer". The Instagram account connected to the site has a disclaimer that reads "all articles are satire" and the website itself renounces…

Does a viral video really show "Charlie Kirk's real shooter escaping" as some posts on social media claim? No, that's not true: The video was filmed over a month before Charlie Kirk was shot, hundreds of miles away from Utah Valley University. It shows the aftermath of a different shooting in Reno, Nevada. The video appeared in a post on…

Does a video show Provo police finding the possible murder weapon and arresting a man as a suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: The rifle taken by police as they handcuffed a man on a Provo, Utah, street was an air rifle that shoots small pellets that would not be capable of inflicting the kind…

Was the person who shot Charlie Kirk identified as "Samden Hindenburg", a pagan fundamentalist refugee from Ukraine? No, that's not true: A viral post recycled the meme in circulation since 2015 that casts the comedian Sam Hyde as an attacker after mass shootings in the U.S. or abroad. No credible media organization reported that anyone named "Samden Hindenburg" was connected…

Did authorities confirm Charlie Kirk was shot by "Michael Mallinson", a registered Democrat from Utah? No, that's not true: Authorities have not yet released the identity of the shooter. Pictures being shared online do not match pictures from the scene of the shooting. The suspect was identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson on September 12, 2025. The name and image…

Does a video of a Black man being arrested show a suspect being arrested in the shooting of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025? No, that's not true: The video shared on X as the purported arrest video of a Kirk shooting suspect is from the June 25, 2025, arrest of a shooting suspect in Santa Monica, California. Police and…

Did President Trump just authorize FCC fines of up to $100 million for media outlets caught spreading lies? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. There were no fact-based news stories about the authorization of the kind of fines…

Is an image of British Union Jack flags crowding the Mall in London during a popular uprising of patriots in late August, 2025, authentic? No, that's not true: The image shared widely across social platforms is an odd digital representation of the Mall, which runs a half mile from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. This image shows the Arc de…

Did the White House suddenly suspend President Trump's official schedule on August 27, 28, and 29, sparking speculation that "something extremely serious may have happened" to Trump? No, that's not true: Speculation about Trump's health was viral on social platforms on Friday, August 27, with false claims that Trump's schedule was canceled without explanation, but those rumors were false. Lead…

Is Clifford Thomas Phillips Jr. the suspect in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis? No, that's not true: The shooter has been identified by law enforcement officials as Robin Westman. He died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The name Clifford Thomas Phillips Jr. was already circulating on social media before the shooting in Minneapolis happened. In social media…

Is Sam Hyde the perpetrator of a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis? No, that's not true:A viral post recycled the meme in circulation since 2015 that casts the comedian Sam Hyde as an attacker after mass shootings in the U.S. or abroad. No credible media organization reported that anyone named "Sam Hyde" was connected to the events in…

Does a viral image authentically show soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancee Georgina Rodriguez married and at their wedding? No, that's not true: The image contained glitches and discrepancies typical of AI generated images and at least one detection tool found evidence of deepfake content. The couple announced their engagement via social media on August 11, 2025 and have…