Charlie Kirk murder suspect confessed and cried, roommate says in court video

The hearing

A preliminary hearing in Provo, Utah, entered its fourth day on Thursday with prosecutors playing a video interview of Lance Twiggs, the former roommate and romantic partner of Tyler Robinson. Robinson, 23, faces aggravated murder and six other charges in the September 2025 shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. The hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence to send the case to trial, where prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty. Robinson has not yet entered a plea.

The roommate's account

In the April 20 interview, Twiggs told prosecutor Ryan McBride that Robinson returned to their townhouse the day after the killing and confirmed what he had hinted at in text messages.

I just asked him in person if what he said was true the night before, and he said it was. He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn't done it.

Twiggs said the two rarely discussed politics and that he had never heard Robinson mention Kirk before the shooting. Robinson sometimes talked about President Donald Trump or new legislation, but Twiggs did not share the interest. Robinson left for work unusually early, around 4 a.m., on the day of the shooting.

Text messages and a note

Prosecutors also presented text exchanges from the hours after Kirk was killed. Robinson messaged Twiggs to look under his keyboard, then admitted to the shooting.

I am. I'm sorry.

When Twiggs asked why, Robinson replied that he had "had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out." A note left for Twiggs read: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it." Robinson's mother later told police her son had moved left politically and become more supportive of gay and trans rights.

Redactions and defense objections

Defense attorneys argued that playing the clips would portray them as confessions and undermine Robinson's right to a fair trial. State District Judge Tony Graf ordered about 15 minutes of the video redacted and allowed only audio on the public livestream. Portions of text messages were also kept from public view.

Family pushes for transparency

Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents attended the hearing. Their lawyer, Jeffrey Neiman, urged the judge to make all evidence public, warning that secrecy would "create doubt and distrust in the judicial system." The judge responded that not everything would be openly displayed.