Utah court hears roommate interview in Charlie Kirk killing case

Utah prosecutors played redacted recordings Thursday of authorities interviewing Lance Twiggs, the roommate and former romantic partner of Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of assassinating conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on a university campus last fall.

In the video and audio clips presented during a preliminary hearing in Provo, Twiggs told investigators that Robinson paced around their apartment after Kirk was killed and said he planned to confess to his parents or turn himself in to law enforcement. Robinson said he wished “he hadn’t done it,” Twiggs told the interviewer.

Twiggs, shown in the video wearing a suit and tie, said he had never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot in front of hundreds of spectators.

The recordings were played on the fourth day of a five-day preliminary hearing before State District Judge Tony F. Graf Jr., who will decide whether prosecutors have enough evidence to send Robinson to trial. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in to law enforcement the day after the shooting.

Kirk, 31, was a co-founder of Turning Point USA, an influential conservative student organization, and an ally of President Donald Trump.

Prosecutors allege Robinson left a note for Twiggs that said: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” They also cited text messages between the two that were detailed in a Utah County Attorney’s Office indictment and read aloud in court by a law enforcement investigator.

“I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson told Twiggs in one text message, according to the indictment.

In another message, Robinson referred to engraving messages on bullets. Twiggs told investigators that Robinson had said before the shooting that he wanted to engrave text on bullets ahead of what Robinson described as a hunting trip with his family.

Robinson’s defense attorneys had tried to block public release of Twiggs’ statements, arguing prosecutors would characterize them as a confession and harm Robinson’s right to a fair trial. The Guardian, citing the Associated Press, reported that defense attorney Richard Novak made a similar objection in court. Twiggs spoke to authorities on Sept. 12, two days after the killing, and again on April 20, the court heard. He was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for making the statements, The Guardian reported.

The hearing has also featured evidence including video that allegedly shows Robinson entering the campus and climbing onto a roof, as well as testimony from law enforcement officers and university staff. The Guardian reported that prosecutors and defense lawyers have clashed over circled highlights and other changes to some videos, which defense attorney Michael Burt said could influence jurors. Another dispute involved DNA testing and the chain of custody for forensic evidence, including a screwdriver found on the campus roof, a Mauser 98 rifle found in nearby woodland and a towel wrapped around it.

Erika Kirk, Kirk’s widow, attended Thursday’s proceedings. Before the hearing began Monday, Kirk’s family thanked supporters for their kindness.

“Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and father,” the family said. “Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children.”

Erika Kirk also asked Graf to allow every exhibit related to her husband’s killing to be displayed in open court, saying in a filing that the family had been present while some evidence was admitted but not shown for their viewing. The filing said a lack of transparency would allow “speculation and conspiracy theories” to continue spreading.

Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman, joined by representatives of the news media, urged Graf to make Twiggs’ statements and other evidence public.

“To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system,” Neiman told the judge.