The fourth day of Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing revealed the most damaging evidence prosecutors have presented so far: a cooperating witness with intimate knowledge of the accused's movements, communications and preparations in the weeks leading up to a death on the Utah Valley University campus.
Lance Twiggs, Robinson's roommate, delivered testimony via recorded video that prosecutors say places Robinson in control of the narrative and the murder weapon. The Fourth District Courthouse in Provo heard a meticulously documented paper trail of admissions, text messages and premeditated action.
"I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it," Robinson allegedly wrote in a handwritten note prosecutors displayed in court Thursday. Judge Ryan Harris ordered redactions to the video that the defense had sought to suppress. The note, which Robinson apparently left for Twiggs to discover beneath his keyboard, represents the kind of direct admission that tends to advance cases toward trial.
What makes Twiggs's testimony particularly significant is its granular detail about the accused's state of mind. In the video interview with prosecutor Ryan McBride, Twiggs recounted a conversation that reportedly occurred the night before the shooting. "He said he wishes he hadn't done it," Twiggs told investigators, describing Robinson as emotional and remorseful. "He started crying a little bit."
But the text message chain that followed tells a different story. It reveals a man attempting to manage an explosive secret, contain damage and maintain a relationship while admitting to homicide. "I am still ok my love, but am stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet," Robinson allegedly texted Twiggs after the killing. "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."
When Twiggs pressed him—"You weren't the one who did it right????"—Robinson allegedly responded with stark directness: "I am. I'm sorry."
These communications represent the kind of evidence that investigators seek: a confession documented in real time, captured in the defendant's own words, preserved in digital form.
Another thread running through Twiggs's testimony speaks to premeditation—a concept that separates murder from manslaughter. Roughly a month before the alleged killing, Robinson asked Twiggs if they owned a Dremel tool. His stated reason: he wanted to engrave messages on bullets he planned to use for a hunting trip with his family.
"He asked me if we had a Dremel tool, because he said he wanted to create messages on bullets," Twiggs told McBride in the recorded interview.
Prosecutors recovered engraved cartridges and a spent casing from the suspected murder weapon—casings bearing messages. Another similarly engraved casing was found in the home Robinson and Twiggs shared. This suggests that planning did not begin on the day of the alleged incident, but weeks earlier, methodically, with materials procured and techniques practiced.
When Twiggs's testimony turned to the Dremel tool, Robinson's demeanor visibly shifted in the courtroom. Court observers noted him fidgeting in his chair, his body language betraying discomfort.
Twiggs occupies an unusual position in this case. He has been placed under FBI protection and has since left the state, suggesting that prosecutors regard him as a witness whose safety depends on distance from the defendant and his associates. He has not been charged with a crime, which indicates prosecutors believe he did not knowingly participate in any conspiracy. Instead, he appears to be the confidant into whom Robinson unburdened himself.
Defense attorneys attempted Wednesday to block or redact portions of Twiggs's video, a procedural maneuver that is standard in cases built on cooperating witness testimony. After negotiations with the judge, the video was ultimately shown Thursday morning in substantially unredacted form. Robinson watched it closely, according to court observers.
The preliminary hearing's purpose is narrowly defined: to determine whether probable cause exists to believe that the accused committed the crime charged. By that standard, the evidence presented Thursday—the admissions, text messages, engraved casings and Dremel tool—appears to meet the threshold prosecutors must clear.
What remains to be seen is whether the full trial will produce evidence that complicates this narrative, whether defense counsel will identify flaws in the chain of custody, inconsistencies in Twiggs's account, or alternative interpretations of the communications Robinson allegedly sent.
For now, the paper trail—the documentary evidence and recorded testimony—has built a structure that appears difficult to dismantle. Robinson's own words, preserved in text and video, may prove to be the most damaging witnesses in this case.
