PROVO, Utah (AP) — The defendant in Charlie Kirk’s killing told his roommate “he wishes he hadn’t done it” the day after the conservative activist was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University, a recording played in court revealed Thursday.
Lance Twiggs, who was also defendant Tyler Robinson’s romantic partner, said in an interview with law enforcement that the interaction with Robinson happened in their apartment in southern Utah, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from where Kirk was shot.
Later that same day — and only about an hour before turning himself in — Robinson posted "it was me at UVU yesterday,” in a chat room on the Discord social media platform, according to investigators and messages shown by prosecutors.
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the fatal shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanize young voters for the Republican in the 2024 election.
Ammunition found in the gun used to kill Kirk had engravings that included “Hey Facist! Catch!” and “If you Read This, You Are GAY,” prosecutors said.
Robinson appeared to furrow his brow and smirk when text messages he sent to Twiggs about engraving bullets were displayed in the courtroom Thursday.
His family sat behind him and Robinson's mom cried as the Discord messages were read aloud. She rubbed the shoulder of one of Robinson’s brothers, who listened with his head bowed.
Defense attorneys unsuccessfully fought the public release of the statements from Twiggs and the chat room messages. They argued prosecutors would characterize the material as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial.
But after prolonged debate that included an attorney for Kirk’s family arguing for the material to be publicly released, state District Judge Tony Graf allowed a redacted version of the video interview to be played. Some parts were blacked out, with only audio.
Notes and text exchanges were reviewed in court
A defense attorney for Robinson, Michael Burt, tried to inject doubt into the prosecution’s case by challenging the reliability of ballistics tests on a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk’s body. Authorities sought to tie the fragment to the suspected murder weapon, but the results were inconclusive.
“Saying anything but inconclusive was inappropriate,” said Samantha Karner with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.
The defense earlier in the week had questioned the reliability of DNA evidence that investigators said linked Robinson to the scene. Experts say the science behind DNA testing is sound.
Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note to Twiggs that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” In that note, shown in full for the first time Thursday, Robinson added that he was “likely dead or facing a lengthy prison sentence,” prosecutors said.
Robinson separately sent a text to Twiggs allegedly saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”
State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis recounted the messages exchanged between Twiggs and Robinson under questioning by a prosecutor Thursday. Included were texts from Robinson worrying about leaving fingerprints on a rifle that belonged to his grandfather, which authorities believe he used to shoot Kirk. Other messages discussed engravings on bullet casings.
Twiggs spoke to authorities on Sept. 12 — two days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking to a crowd of thousands — and again on April 20, Davis said. He was given immunity for the statements, meaning what Twiggs said cannot be used against him in a potential criminal case.
Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims by prosecutors that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.
Twiggs said in the April interview that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ rights, Twiggs testified.
Graf is weighing whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial. He scheduled oral arguments from the two sides for Sept. 1, with a decision to follow.
Robinson’s attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence but have sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.
Lawyers for Kirk's widow wanted all of Twiggs' statement made public
Charlie Kirk’s parents and widow, Erika Kirk, sat a few rows back from Robinson's family on Thursday. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, also was in attendance.
Attorneys for the Kirks and the media urged the judge to make Twiggs' statements and other evidence public.
Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman said they had waited 10 months for the hearing but at times had been denied the chance “to meaningfully observe” it. Neiman asked that all evidence against Robinson be displayed openly and in real time during this week's hearing.
The judge responded that not all evidence would be openly displayed and he needed to protect the rights of both victims and the defendant.
Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once through the neck as the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk, 31, was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.
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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
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