Investigators Recover Weapon, Note Stating Intent to Kill Kirk; Roommate Confirms Remorse

A preliminary hearing at the 4th District Court in Provo, Utah, on July 9, 2026, presented statements from Lance Twiggs, the former roommate and romantic partner of Tyler Robinson, who is charged with aggravated murder in the death of Charlie Kirk. Twiggs, granted immunity, described in a recorded interview how Robinson paced their apartment on September 12, 2025, admitted the shooting was true, and said he wished he had not done it.

Prosecutors played text messages in which Robinson allegedly told Twiggs he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and was going to take it.

One message stated Robinson targeted Kirk because he had enough of his hatred, and another said some hate cannot be negotiated out. Robinson also allegedly wrote that he had been planning the incident for a bit over a week and hoped to keep it secret until he died of old age.

Kirk was shot once through the neck on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University and was declared dead after transport to a hospital.

Investigators recovered a bolt-action rifle with one spent round wrapped in a towel near the site. Robinson, 23, turned himself in on September 12, 2025, and has not entered a plea. Defense attorneys questioned the reliability of DNA testing linking Robinson to the towel and gun.

Lawyer Michael Burt argued the analyst cannot match Robinson to the samples. Forensics expert Lawrence Quarino stated that law enforcement uses extremely reliable tests and that DNA testing is the gold standard in forensic science. Robinson sat in court dressed in a jacket and tie with one arm shackled to his waist and appeared to take notes.

His parents and two brothers attended, along with Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's parents, and Sen. Mike Lee. Judge Tony Graf said not all evidence would be displayed openly to protect the rights of both victims and the defendant.