PROVO: The defendant in Charlie Kirk's killing told his roommate "he wishes he hadn't done it" the day after the conservative activist was shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University, a recording played in court revealed Thursday.
Lance Twiggs, who was also defendant Tyler Robinson's romantic partner, said in an interview with law enforcement that the teary interaction with Robinson happened in their apartment in southern Utah, more than 200 miles (320 kilometres) from where Kirk was shot.
Later that same day — and only about an hour before turning himself in — Robinson posted "it was me at UVU yesterday," in a chat room on the Discord instant messaging platform, according to investigators and messages shown by prosecutors.
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the September 10 shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanise young voters for the Republican in the 2024 election.
Ammunition found in the gun used to kill Kirk had engravings that included "Hey Facist! CATCH!” and “If you Read This, You Are GAY," according to prosecutors, who are seeking the death penalty.
Robinson appeared to furrow his brow and smirk when text messages he sent to Twiggs about the engraved bullets were displayed in the courtroom Thursday.
Robinson's family sat behind him, and his mom cried as the Discord messages were read aloud. She rubbed the shoulder of one of Robinson's brothers, who listened with his head bowed.
Defence attorneys unsuccessfully fought the public release of the statements from Twiggs and the chat room messages. They argued prosecutors would characterise the material as a confession, undermining Robinson's right to a fair trial.
After prolonged debate that included an attorney for Kirk's family arguing for the material to be publicly released, state District Judge Tony Graf allowed a redacted version of Twiggs' video interview to be played. Some parts were blacked out, with only audio.
Graf is weighing whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial. He won't rule until after both sides present arguments on September 1.
Robinson's attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence but have sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.
Defence attorney Michael Burt tried to inject doubt into the prosecution's case by challenging the reliability of ballistics tests on a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk's body. Authorities sought to tie the fragment to the suspected murder weapon, but the results were inconclusive.
“Saying anything but inconclusive was inappropriate,” said Samantha Karner with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a federal law enforcement agency.
The defence earlier in the week had questioned the reliability of DNA evidence that investigators said linked Robinson to the scene. Experts say the science behind DNA testing is sound.
Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a handwritten note to Twiggs that read: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it." The note, shown in full for the first time Thursday, continued, "I wish we could have lived in a world where this did not feel necessary."
Robinson also allegedly sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred."
State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis recounted the messages exchanged between Twiggs and Robinson under questioning by a prosecutor Thursday. Included were texts from Robinson worrying about leaving fingerprints on a rifle that belonged to his grandfather, which authorities believe he used to shoot Kirk.
Twiggs spoke to authorities on September 12 — two days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking to a crowd of thousands — and again on April 20, Davis said. He was given immunity for the statements, meaning what Twiggs said cannot be used against him in a potential criminal case.
Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk's campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims by prosecutors that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.
Twiggs said in the April interview that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about LGBTQ rights, Twiggs testified.
Kirk's parents and widow, Erika, sat a few rows back from Robinson's family on Thursday. US Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, also was in attendance.
Brandon Tatum, a conservative media personality and close friend of Kirk, said he was "shocked at how much relevant evidence" Twiggs' shared in his interview. He left court Thursday feeling confident about prosecutors' case but had mixed feelings about the judge's decision to hold off ruling until after a September hearing.
"I think the family's waited long enough, but I'd rather it be done right and done in confidence than for it to be hastily done the next day without being thoroughly, I guess, bulletproof," Tatum said.
Another conservative activist, Jack Posobiec, said he got emotional seeing photos of the bullet fragments that hit his friend. "But you have to push through that pain and push through all of that to be able to get justice," he said.
Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once in the neck while the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk, 31, was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.