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.
Robinson’s transgender partner, Lance Twiggs, said he spoke with Robinson in person when he returned to their residence after the 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.
Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation 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 [Robinson] says, ‘I am. I’m sorry.’”
“Tyler [Robinson] says, ‘Why did I do it?’ And Lance [Twiggs] says, ‘Yeah.’ Tyler says, ‘I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.’”
Only a portion of the video was presented in open court.
Utah State District Judge Tony Graf Jr. ruled on July 8 that about 16 minutes of the video should be redacted before it is aired in public.
The defense successfully argued that portions of the video 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 the victim’s loved ones had a right to see the evidence.
“They deserve to know what happened to Charlie,” said attorney Jeffrey Neiman.
Graf will be able to see the entire video, but he ruled on July 8 that the public would not. The preliminary hearing is expected to end on July 10.
The judge 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 in the neck by a sniper’s bullet while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
The preliminary hearing offers the first detailed look at the prosecution’s case against Robinson, 23, who is charged with aggravated murder.
Robinson, who has not entered a plea, faces a possible death sentence if convicted.