'What would Jesus do?' Utah students torn on death penalty for Charlie Kirk's accused killer

"I think it's totally necessary," Ryder Warner, a UVU student who was entering the courtyard when Kirk was shot last Wednesday, said of a potential death penalty against Robinson. 

Warner told Fox News Digital that, as a Christian, he didn't believe in taking another human's life, but "with this situation, where somebody was just here to share an opinion and lost their life because of their opinion, I think that whoever took their life should be killed, too."

"I think that's only fair," he said. 

Afton Miller, a junior at UVU who said she was 5 to 10 feet away from Kirk when he was shot, said Robinson facing the death penalty "hurts a little bit."

"I'm pro-life," Miller said. "I believe that somebody deserves to live, but in moments like this, it's very hard that their family is also losing their son as well. It's just as painful to lose somebody."

She said it was "extremely traumatic" to witness the assassination of one of her "greatest heroes" on her college campus. 

James Whitney, another UVU student, told Fox News Digital that "they found the gun in my parents' backyard." According to Robinson's charging documents, investigators found a "bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel" in a wooded area on the northeast end of campus, but authorities have not confirmed the exact location. 

Whitney said it was "scary" returning to campus. He said he typically tries to stay out of politics because political violence is "becoming normalized."

"I don't agree with what happened here," Whitney said. "I don't think any human being ever deserves to have that kind of hate taken out on their life, ever, including in front of their kids. With the death penalty, I mean, a lot of people here are religious. What would Jesus do?" Whitney asked.

And while Whitney emphasized that he didn't agree with what Robinson did, "especially on my own school grounds," the UVU student said he didn't "condone any sort of death in any sort of way," as the Utah County attorney seeks the death penalty. 

"I think it's sad for anybody to die," Stevens said. "It's a crazy situation and just to see how it's affected almost the entire world and that this one man could have such evil in his heart. It's sad, but I think it's fair, yes."

UVU classes resumed on Wednesday, one week after Kirk's assassination. The campus began reopening on Monday as students and locals visited campus to pay their respects to Kirk by leaving flowers and posters. 

The campus is planning a "Vigil for Unity" on Friday for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to gather in "remembering, healing and reaffirming shared values."

"This attack was not just on an individual, but on the spirit of free expression, civil discourse, and intellectual inquiry that sits at the very foundation of our university," UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez said in a statement. "The violence that occurred on our campus has shaken us deeply. We remain steadfast in our commitment to learning, dialogue and the values that unite us, even in times of grief. Together we choose hope for the future, and care for each other during this time."