Washington: The man accused of killing conservative US activist Charlie Kirk told his partner he wished he hadn’t done it when he confessed face-to-face in the hours after the alleged murder, a court has heard.
Text messages between the accused, Tyler Robinson, and his former partner and roommate Lance Twiggs were shown during a pre-trial hearing in Utah on Thursday (US time), along with parts of a police interview with Twiggs.
It was the first public airing of Twiggs’ testimony, which forms part of the prosecution’s case that Robinson, 23, premeditated and planned Kirk’s murder at a university campus in September.
Evidence presented to the court – and previously contained in court documents – showed Robinson and Twiggs texted on the night of September 10, hours after the alleged murder, with Twiggs asking Robinson a series of questions.
“You werent [sic] the one who did it right????” Twiggs asked. “I am, I’m sorry,” Robinson replied.
When Twiggs asked why, Robinson said: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Twiggs also asked Robinson how long he had been planning the killing, to which Robinson said: “A bit over a week I believe.”
But the court also heard evidence in Twiggs’ police interview that Robinson had borrowed a tool to inscribe bullets some time before the killing. Twiggs said he believed it was related to an upcoming family hunting trip that Robinson had talked about for “a couple of months”. Engraved bullets were found near where Kirk was shot.
Twiggs lived with Robinson in St George, Utah. He told police he saw the accused at home the day after the killing, and that he appeared agitated or nervous.
“He was walking around a lot,” Twiggs said in the taped interview in April. “He was up and around doing a lot of stuff around the house.
“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. Then kept going around and just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted.
“Eventually [he] said that he would talk to his parents or turn himself over. I didn’t really want to be in our apartment while any of that was happening, regardless of what went down.”
Robinson handed himself in to police that evening, about 34 hours after Kirk was fatally shot, after his parents saw surveillance photos of the suspect released by the FBI. Along with a family friend, they arranged for his surrender.
In the police interview shown in court on Thursday, Twiggs said he and Robinson did not frequently discuss politics, including gender identity or LGBTQ rights.
“He did more than me. I don’t really keep up with politics very much,” Twiggs said. “[He] usually talked about stuff he heard on the radio.
“I personally never heard him talk about Charlie Kirk before specifically … Usually if he did talk about politics stuff it was related to Trump or current policies being issued or voted on.”
Portions of the taped interview were redacted from the video feed, but the pre-trial hearing is largely being livestreamed. Lawyers for Kirk’s parents and widow, Erika Kirk, have asked for all evidence to be made public.
Robinson has sat quietly through the hearing. On Thursday, he was dressed in a jacket and tie with one arm shackled to his waist. He appeared to be taking notes with his free hand.
Robinson’s parents and two of his brothers sat behind him, in the front row of the courtroom gallery. Charlie Kirk’s parents and Erika Kirk sat a few rows back. Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, also was in attendance.
Kirk, the founder of political action group Turning Point USA, was a high-profile conservative activist and evangelical Christian, and a close ally of President Donald Trump and especially Vice President JD Vance. He helped Vance become Trump’s running mate in 2024.
He regularly spoke on university campuses, including participating in debates against people who wanted to disagree with him on an issue.
Kirk was involved in such a session when he was shot at Utah Valley University, aged 31.
The pre-trial hearing continues. Robinson has not yet entered a plea and his lawyers have not commented on his guilt or innocence.
With AP
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
