He wished he hadn't done it, but he had already done it.
In a Provo courtroom, the machinery of justice turned slowly around a single question: what does a man say to the person he loves after he has done something irreversible? Testimony from Tyler Robinson's former lover, Lance Twiggs, placed private words — tears, regret, and alleged confession — at the center of the state's case against the 23-year-old accused of assassinating conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last September. The hearing, now stretching toward a September ruling on probable cause, asks a court to weigh whether intimate disclosures, engraved bullets, and a handwritten note constitute the architecture of premeditated killing.
- A former lover's video testimony placed Robinson in tears, allegedly admitting regret for Kirk's killing — transforming a private grief into a prosecutorial cornerstone.
- Text messages sent the night before the shooting suggest Robinson told Twiggs what he was about to do, then apologized, painting a portrait of someone who understood the weight of what he planned.
- Physical evidence — engraved bullet casings, a Dremel tool borrowed under false pretenses, a handwritten note claiming credit — gave prosecutors a material trail to match the emotional one.
- Robinson's body betrayed him in the courtroom: fidgeting at the mention of the Dremel tool, scratching his throat when Twiggs described their last meeting, while his family held one another behind him.
- The judge declined to rule immediately, pushing the probable cause decision to September — leaving Robinson, his family, and Kirk's survivors suspended in procedural waiting.
- If the case advances and Robinson is convicted, he faces the death penalty — a stakes ceiling that casts every detail of this hearing in the longest possible shadow.
On the fourth day of Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing in Provo, prosecutors played a video of Lance Twiggs — Robinson's former lover and roommate — describing the moment he asked Robinson directly whether what he'd said the night before was true. Robinson cried. He said he wished he hadn't done it. That exchange, quiet and private, has become the emotional center of the state's case in the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot by a sniper's bullet on September 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The night before the shooting, according to text messages shown in court, Robinson allegedly told Twiggs he was about to take credit for something significant. When Twiggs asked if he was joking, Robinson replied that he was — then immediately apologized. Prosecutors also presented a handwritten note Twiggs said he found under Robinson's keyboard after the shooting, in which Robinson wrote that he had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and intended to act on it. Robinson had also texted that he needed to retrieve his rifle before coming home.
The physical evidence extended further. About a month before the shooting, Robinson had borrowed a Dremel tool from Twiggs, claiming he wanted to engrave bullets for a family hunting trip. Prosecutors presented engraved cartridges and a spent casing recovered from the suspected murder weapon, as well as another engraved casing found in the home the two men shared. When the Dremel tool was mentioned in testimony, Robinson shifted in his seat. Behind him, his brother bowed his head while their mother and father held each other.
Twiggs described the morning of September 10 in detail: Robinson left early, citing a long drive to work. Twiggs didn't wake until midday — a timeline that drew visible reactions from Kirk's family in the gallery. Twiggs also identified Robinson as the figure in an FBI wanted poster, noting the matching shoes, sunglasses, and jeans, though he acknowledged the camera quality made certainty difficult.
Robinson, 23, has not entered a plea. The judge announced he would not rule on probable cause at the close of this week's hearing; instead, both sides will submit briefs before oral arguments on September 1. If the case proceeds and Robinson is convicted, he faces the death penalty. What began as a preliminary procedural step has become a detailed window into the prosecution's portrait of a young man who planned an assassination — and then, in the hours after, wept and told the person closest to him that he wished he could take it back.
Lance Twiggs sat across from Utah prosecutors and described a conversation that would become central to their case. He had asked Tyler Robinson point-blank whether the things he'd said the night before were true. Robinson cried. He said he wished he hadn't done it. That video, played in a Provo courtroom on Thursday morning during the fourth day of Robinson's preliminary hearing, showed a young man watching intently as his former lover recounted their private exchange—an exchange that prosecutors say amounts to a confession in the death of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was shot by a sniper's bullet on September 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. The night before that shooting, according to text messages prosecutors displayed in court, Robinson allegedly took credit for what was about to happen. When Twiggs asked if he was joking, Robinson replied: "I am." Then: "I'm sorry." The messages painted a portrait of a man preparing to commit an act he knew would devastate someone he claimed to care about.
The evidence prosecutors presented went deeper than words. They showed the court a handwritten note, one full page, that Twiggs said he found under Robinson's keyboard after the shooting. "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it," it read. Robinson also allegedly told Twiggs he needed to retrieve his rifle, that he'd hoped to keep the secret until he died of old age. In another text, Robinson wrote: "Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still."
Then there were the bullets. Twiggs told investigators that roughly a month before the shooting, Robinson had asked to borrow a Dremel tool. He said he wanted to engrave messages on bullets, claiming he planned to go hunting with his family. Prosecutors presented evidence that cartridges and a spent casing recovered from the suspected murder weapon bore engravings. Another engraved casing was found in the home Robinson and Twiggs shared. When the Dremel tool came up during testimony, Robinson fidgeted in his chair. His brother bent forward with his head down while their mother rubbed his back and their father held her close.
Twiggs, who identified himself to some associates as "Luna" and served as both Robinson's lover and roommate, was cooperating with investigators and had not been charged. He described the morning of September 10 in detail. Robinson had left early, saying he had a long drive to work. Twiggs didn't wake until around noon or 1 p.m.—a timeline that drew scoffs from Kirk's family sitting in the gallery. When Twiggs mentioned the last time he saw Robinson before Robinson surrendered, the accused man reached up and scratched his throat.
Twiggs also identified Robinson as the person in an FBI wanted poster circulated after the shooting, though he hedged slightly on the certainty. The shoes matched, the sunglasses matched, the jeans matched. He usually wore a hat. The camera quality made absolute identification difficult, but it looked like him.
Robinson, 23 years old, has not entered a plea. The judge indicated Thursday that he would not decide whether there is probable cause to send the case to trial at the end of this week's hearing. Instead, both sides will file briefs, and oral arguments will be heard on September 1. Only then will the judge rule on whether the evidence warrants proceeding. If convicted, Robinson could face the death penalty. The preliminary hearing, a procedural step to determine if the case can advance, has become a window into the prosecution's theory of a young man who planned, prepared, and then carried out an assassination—and then, in the hours after, told his lover he wished he hadn't.
Notable Quotes
I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it— From handwritten note allegedly written by Tyler Robinson, as presented in court
I am. I'm sorry.— Tyler Robinson, in alleged text message to Lance Twiggs when asked if he was joking about the shooting
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What strikes you most about Twiggs's testimony—the confession itself, or the way Robinson reacted to hearing it played back?
Both, but differently. The confession is devastating because it's so mundane. He doesn't perform remorse in some grand way. He cries a little. He says he wishes he hadn't done it. That's the voice of someone who has already crossed a line and can't uncross it.
And Robinson watching it happen?
He's in the room hearing his own lover describe him breaking down, describe the note, describe the bullets. That's not abstract anymore. That's intimate testimony about who he is.
The Dremel tool detail seems almost incidental until you realize what it means.
Exactly. It's the difference between impulse and planning. A month before. He asked for the tool. He said it was for hunting. Then he used it to engrave bullets. That's not something you do in a moment of anger.
Twiggs hedged on identifying Robinson in the wanted poster. Why does that matter?
Because it shows the prosecution isn't relying on one smoking gun. They have the texts, the note, the bullets, the timeline, the behavior. The poster ID is just one more piece. The case is built in layers.
What happens now?
The judge delays. Both sides file briefs. In September, they argue. Then he decides if there's enough to go to trial. Robinson could face death. Everything hinges on what the judge thinks the evidence proves.