Utah court hears Charlie Kirk shooting accused told roommate he regretted it

Provo,UPDATED: Jul 10, 2026 02:42 IST

A court in Utah on Thursday heard that the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk told his roommate the day after the shooting that "he wishes he hadn't done it". The recording was played during a preliminary hearing in the case against Tyler Robinson, who is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea.

Prosecutors also showed messages in court which they said included Robinson writing in a Discord chat room, about an hour before he surrendered, "it was me at UVU yesterday". Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who was credited with helping galvanise young voters for the Republican in the 2024 election, was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University.

Lance Twiggs, Robinson's roommate and romantic partner, told law enforcement that the interaction took place at their flat in south-eastern Utah, more than 320 kilometres from the university where Kirk was shot. Defence lawyers tried unsuccessfully to block the public release of Twiggs' statements and the chat room messages, arguing that prosecutors would portray them as a confession and harm Robinson's right to a fair trial if they were widely broadcast.

After extended arguments, including submissions from a lawyer for Kirk's family seeking public release of the material, state District Judge Tony Graf allowed a redacted version of Twiggs' interview to be played in court. Some portions were blacked out and only the audio was heard.

Prosecutors said Robinson had also confessed in a note to Twiggs that read, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it." They said he also sent Twiggs a text saying he targeted Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred." State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis told the court that text exchanges between the two included Robinson worrying about fingerprints on a rifle that belonged to his grandfather, which investigators believe was used in the shooting. Other messages referred to engravings on bullet casings.

According to prosecutors, ammunition found in the gun carried engravings including "Hey Facist! Catch!" and "If you Read This, You Are GAY." As those messages were shown in court, Robinson appeared to furrow his brow and smirk. He was dressed in a jacket and tie, with one arm shackled to his waist, and appeared to take notes with his free hand.

Davis said Twiggs spoke to investigators on September 12, two days after Kirk was killed while addressing a crowd of thousands, and again on April 20. Twiggs was given immunity for those statements, meaning they cannot be used against him in a possible criminal case. Prosecutors have argued that the shooting endangered others at the campus event, an aggravating factor that could make the case punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.

Twiggs said in the April interview that Robinson sometimes spoke about politics, including Trump, but that he had never heard him speak about Kirk before the shooting. Twiggs also testified that Robinson did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ rights. Graf is expected to decide at the end of the week's preliminary hearing whether prosecutors have enough evidence to take Robinson to trial. Robinson's lawyers have not commented on his guilt or innocence, but have unsuccessfully tried to have the death penalty removed as a possible punishment.

Lawyers representing media organisations and Kirk's widow, Erika, who attended the hearing, had urged the judge to make Twiggs' statements and other evidence public. Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman said, "To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system." In a filing made late on Wednesday, Neiman asked for all evidence against Robinson to be shown openly and in real time during the hearing, writing that Erika Kirk and Kirk's parents had waited 10 months for the hearing but had at times been denied the chance "to meaningfully observe" it. The judge replied that not all evidence would be displayed openly and said he needed to protect the rights of both victims and the defendant.

Investigators have said Robinson went to a rooftop near the venue, fired once and hit Kirk through the neck as he was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk was declared dead after being taken to hospital. Investigators later found the suspected murder weapon, a bolt-action rifle with one spent round, wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the shooting site.

Robinson's parents and two of his brothers sat behind him in the front row of the public gallery, while Charlie Kirk's parents and Erika Kirk sat a few rows back. Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee was also present. Robinson's mother cried as the Discord messages were read aloud and placed a hand on one son's shoulder as he listened with his head bowed. The hearing centred on the statements, messages and evidence that prosecutors say link Robinson to the fatal shooting, as the court considers whether the case should go to trial.

With PTI Inputs

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