Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old charged with murdering far-right pundit Charlie Kirk, cried and told his then-roommate Lance Twiggs “he wishes he hadn’t done it” one day after the fatal shooting, according to testimony played Thursday in court.
On the fourth day of a hearing to determine whether the case has probable cause to proceed to trial, the state presented the video of a prosecutor interviewing Twiggs, after back-and-forth on Wednesday over whether publicly broadcasting the testimony could expose potential jurors to prejudicial information.
Twiggs, who has also gone by the name “Luna”, was romantically involved with Robinson.
Twiggs spoke to authorities on 12 September 2025, two days after Kirk was killed, and again on 20 April 2026 . The second conversation was heard in court on Thursday.
Twiggs, who has not been accused of any involvement in the alleged murder, was granted immunity from the prosecution in return for the statements.
On 11 September 2025, Twiggs encountered Robinson pacing around their apartment and behaving as if he were trying to distract himself, according to the video testimony.
Authorities previously said that Robinson left Twiggs a note claiming culpability in the death of Kirk, who was shot in the neck as he spoke before a large crowd at Utah Valley University on 10 September 2025.
In the video, Twiggs discussed asking Robinson whether what he had written in the note was true, and said Robinson confirmed it was.
Prosecutors also displayed screenshots from Twiggs’s phone of text messages exchanged with Robinson.
“Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote, according to one photo.
“You werent the one who did it right????” Twiggs replied.
“I am, I’m sorry,” Robinson wrote.
The video testimony has been a source of contention.
The defense attorney Richard Novak has said he feared prosecutors would attempt to portray Twiggs’s statements as a confession by Robinson, who has not entered a plea, and hurt the defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Meanwhile, Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, has called for the court to allow the open courtroom display of every exhibit relating to her husband’s killing, saying she fears the proliferation of conspiracy theories.
She has been in attendance at the legal proceedings this week, accompanied by Kirk’s parents.
Graf allowed the partially redacted interview and messages, citing a need to protect the rights of both the victims and Robinson.
On Thursday, the state continued to present details about the weapon they say was used to kill Kirk.
Jennifer Faumuina, a sergeant with the Utah department of public safety, testified earlier in the week that law enforcement recovered a Mauser 98 rifle from a wooded area on the campus of Utah Valley University. Forensic testing found the DNA of Robinson and Twiggs on a towel that was wrapped around the firearm.
Faumuina returned to the stand on Thursday. She read from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) report that concluded it was highly likely DNA on several parts of the rifle belonged to Robinson.
Three unfired bullets and a casing were also found with the gun, according to Faumuina. They were engraved with previously reported messages including: “if you read this, you are gay,” “hey fascist, catch,” and “oh bella ciao, ciao, ciao.”
The court has also seen evidence including video footage allegedly depicting Robinson entering the campus and climbing on to a roof, and heard from law enforcement officers and university staff describing what they saw and heard.
