In dramatic audio testimony, defendant Tyler Robinson’s former roommate said Robinson cried and regretted his actions after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed by a sniper’s bullet while speaking at a Utah university last year.
Only a portion of the video testimony was presented in open court.
Robinson’s partner, Lance Twiggs, told police in a recorded interview that he spoke with Robinson in person when he returned to their residence after Kirk’s fatal shooting.
Twiggs said he asked Robinson if the information in their previous text thread was true.
“He said he wishes he hadn’t done it,” Twiggs said, adding that Robinson was agitated and crying.
Also, Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation took the stand to read an alleged text thread between the pair concerning Kirk’s shooting.
“Twiggs asked: ‘You weren’t the one who did it right?’ And Tyler says, ‘I am. I’m sorry.’”
“Why did I do it?” Robinson’s text read. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Twiggs, who identifies as transgender and also goes by the name Luna, said he believed that Robinson was the man climbing the stairs on campus in a photo released by law enforcement after Kirk’s murder.
Twiggs testified that Robinson had alerted him to a letter left under the keyboard of his desk and had asked him about the whereabouts of a tool to engrave bullets after saying he intended to go on a hunting trip with his family.
However, Twiggs testified that Robinson didn’t speak much about politics or LGBT issues. He said he didn’t recall Robinson talking about Kirk in the past either.
Utah State District Judge Tony Graf Jr. ruled on July 8 that about 16 minutes of the recording should be redacted before it is aired in public.
The defense successfully argued that portions of Twiggs’s testimony could prejudice a future jury pool.
Graf ruled from the bench on the fourth day of the preliminary hearing that prosecution exhibits of text messages between the couple, Discord private chat messages, and photos of notes between the pair could be published to the public and media.
The ruling came after the attorney for the Kirk family and his widow, Erika Kirk, argued that the victim’s loved ones had a right to see the evidence.
“They deserve to know what happened to Charlie,” attorney Jeffrey Neiman said.
During the hearing, prosecution witness Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina, who oversaw the crime scene, testified that she found three bullet cartridges and a casing with the rifle believed to be the murder weapon.
Faumuina testified that she read the engravings, which contained anti-fascist viewpoints and internet memes, during the hearing.
One read “Hey fascist! Catch!” followed by a series of up arrow symbols that authorities have noted in the past may be code used in the “Helldivers 2” video game.
“If you read this, you are gay LMAO,” appeared on another of the cartridges.
The phrase “Oh bella ciao,” which repeats “ciao,” was also found on a cartridge, she said. It is believed to be linked to an Italian anti-fascist song from the World War II era. In recent years, “Bella ciao” has been used as a slogan or rallying cry by left-wing activists.
Graf, who has access to the entire recording and all evidence presented, will determine whether the prosecution has demonstrated probable cause to proceed to trial.
Twiggs’s statement is considered hearsay, which is usually barred in court.
However, preliminary hearings in Utah allow the prosecution to introduce “reliable hearsay,” which includes statements by witnesses about what someone else said.
The defense has repeatedly objected to the admission of hearsay evidence presented in the courtroom and broadcast by the media.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
The preliminary hearing, which is expected to end on July 10, offers the first detailed look at the prosecution’s case against Robinson, 23, who is charged with aggravated murder.
The prosecution has presented surveillance video allegedly placing Robinson on campus at the time of the shooting. They also offered DNA evidence allegedly tying the defendant to a towel wrapped around a rifle stashed in the nearby woods and a screwdriver found near a “sniper pad” on the Losee Center roof.
Robinson, who has not entered a plea, faces a possible death sentence if convicted.
Last month, Graf denied a defense request to remove the death penalty as a possible punishment.
However, the judge also found prosecutors in contempt after they publicly stated that they could prove Robinson’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before the case reaches trial.
