In a Utah courtroom, the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson — accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk before thousands of witnesses at Utah Valley University in September 2025 — has surfaced testimony suggesting Robinson both premeditated the act and wept with regret the morning after. The case sits at the intersection of political violence, forensic science, and the enduring human question of what follows when conviction turns to consequence. A judge must now weigh whether the evidence is sufficient to carry this reckoning into a full trial.
Kirk murder suspect told roommate he wished 'he hadn't done it,' prosecutor hears
Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck during a public event at Utah Valley University in September 2025, with the shooting occurring in front of several thousand attendees.
He said he wishes he hadn't done it
Mark
What struck you most about Twiggs's account of that day in the apartment?
Mimi
The gap between the planning and the aftermath. Robinson had written that note, sent that text—he'd thought it through. But then, the next morning, he's pacing, he's crying, he's saying he wishes he hadn't done it. That's not the portrait of someone at peace with a decision.
Mark
Do you think that regret is genuine, or is it performance?
Mimi
I don't know. Twiggs couldn't know either. He just reported what he saw and heard. The crying, the pacing, the words—those are real. Whether they reflect actual remorse or panic or something else entirely, that's for the trial to sort out.
Mark
The defense is fighting hard on the DNA evidence. Why does that matter so much?
Mimi
Because if the DNA doesn't hold up, the physical link between Robinson and the weapon dissolves. The note and the text are damaging, but DNA is what makes it airtight. The defense knows that.
Mark
And the judge is trying to balance transparency with fairness to Robinson.
Mimi
Exactly. The Kirk family wants the world to see everything. The defense wants to protect Robinson's right to a fair trial. The judge has to thread that needle. It's not easy.
The Pulse
- A former roommate and romantic partner testified that Robinson left a note before the shooting declaring his intent, then confirmed the act the next day — and broke down crying, saying he wished he hadn't done it.
- Kirk was killed by a single shot to the neck fired from a rooftop as he addressed thousands at Utah Valley University, with his parents and widow now sitting just rows behind the accused in the same courtroom.
- DNA evidence tying Robinson to the murder weapon and a nearby towel forms the spine of the prosecution's case, but defense attorneys are aggressively challenging the FBI's forensic testing methods as unreliable.
- A battle over transparency erupted mid-hearing, with the Kirk family's attorney demanding all evidence be shown openly in real time, while Robinson's defense sought to shield statements from public broadcast to protect his right to a fair trial.
- Judge Tony Graf is now weighing whether prosecutors have met the threshold to proceed to trial, with portions of evidence remaining redacted and the courtroom holding its breath for his determination.
In a Utah courtroom, the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson — accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk before thousands of witnesses at Utah Valley University in September 2025 — has surfaced testimony suggesting Robinson both premeditated the act and wept with regret the morning after. The case sits at the intersection of political violence, forensic science, and the enduring human question of what follows when conviction turns to consequence. A judge must now weigh whether the evidence is sufficient to carry this reckoning into a full trial.
Tyler Robinson sat in the courtroom Thursday, one arm shackled, dressed in a jacket and tie, taking notes with his free hand. Behind him were his parents and brothers; a few rows back sat Charlie Kirk's parents and his widow, Erika. The hearing was in its second day, and the weight of testimony was accumulating.
Lance Twiggs, Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, had given prosecutors a recorded interview describing what he witnessed the day after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in September 2025. Kirk had been addressing a crowd of several thousand when a single bullet struck him in the neck from a nearby rooftop. He died at the hospital. According to Twiggs, Robinson had left a note before the event declaring his intent to act, and sent a text saying he had grown tired of Kirk's 'hatred.' But the morning after, Twiggs found Robinson pacing their apartment, visibly undone. When Twiggs asked if it was true, Robinson confirmed it — then began to cry, saying he wished he hadn't done it. Later that same day, Robinson told Twiggs he was going to turn himself in. He did.
The Kirk family's attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, had filed a late request demanding all evidence be displayed openly and in real time, arguing that secrecy would breed distrust in the judicial system. The defense had objected, fearing public characterization of Robinson's words as a confession. Judge Tony Graf navigated the tension carefully, allowing some evidence to remain redacted — portions of Twiggs's interview were obscured when the prosecutor appeared to show him Robinson's written communications.
Physical evidence was equally contested. Investigators recovered a gun with one spent round, wrapped in a towel, near the shooting site. DNA testing linked Robinson to both items, but defense attorney Michael Burt challenged the FBI analyst's methodology, arguing she could not reliably match Robinson to the samples. A forensics expert from Cedar Crest College countered that DNA testing remains 'the gold standard in forensic science.' Judge Graf will decide whether the evidence is sufficient to bring Robinson to trial. The courtroom waited.
Tyler Robinson sat in the courtroom Thursday morning, one arm shackled to his waist, dressed in a jacket and tie, taking notes with his free hand. Behind him sat his parents and two brothers. A few rows back were Charlie Kirk's parents and his widow, Erika. The preliminary hearing was in its second day, and the evidence was mounting—not just in documents and forensics, but in the testimony of someone who had lived with the accused.
Lance Twiggs, Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, had given a recorded interview to prosecutors. In it, he described seeing Robinson the day after Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in September 2025. Kirk had been speaking to a crowd of several thousand people when a single shot struck him in the neck from a nearby rooftop. He was declared dead at the hospital. Now, nine months later, Twiggs was telling authorities what Robinson had said in the hours after the shooting.
According to Twiggs, Robinson had left a note for him before the event. The note allegedly stated that Robinson "had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it." Robinson had also sent a text message saying he targeted Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred." But what Twiggs described in his interview was something more immediate and human: the aftermath of someone confronting what they had done.
On September 12, the day after the shooting, Twiggs said Robinson was pacing around their apartment, walking "around a lot." When Twiggs asked if what Robinson had said the night before was true, Robinson confirmed it. Then he began to cry. "He said he wishes he hadn't done it," Twiggs told the prosecutor. Robinson continued pacing, doing things to keep himself busy or distracted, Twiggs said. Before long, Robinson told Twiggs he was going to turn himself in. Twiggs left the apartment and didn't want to be there "regardless of what went down." Robinson surrendered to authorities later that same day.
The defense team had objected to making Twiggs's statements public, arguing that prosecutors would use them to characterize Robinson's words as a confession, potentially undermining his right to a fair trial if media outlets broadcast them. But lawyers for the media and for Erika Kirk pushed back. Jeffrey Neiman, the Kirk family's attorney, filed a request late Wednesday asking that all evidence be displayed openly and in real time. "To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system," Neiman told the judge. The Kirk family had waited ten months for this hearing and wanted to meaningfully observe it. Judge Tony Graf responded that he would protect the rights of both victims and the defendant, and some evidence would remain redacted. When the video of Twiggs's interview was played, portions were obscured, particularly when the prosecutor appeared to be showing Twiggs images of Robinson's note and messages.
The physical evidence was equally central to the prosecution's case. Investigators had found the suspected murder weapon—a gun with one spent round—wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot. DNA testing linked Robinson to both the towel and the gun. But the defense was challenging the reliability of that testing. Michael Burt, one of Robinson's lawyers, questioned an FBI DNA analyst about her techniques, arguing that "she can't match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples." The defense had raised doubts about DNA analysis throughout the week, seeking to undermine what prosecutors considered their strongest evidence.
Lawrence Quarino, a forensics expert and director of the forensic science program at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania, testified that law enforcement agencies use "extremely reliable" tests to determine the probability that a person matches DNA found at a crime scene. DNA testing, he said, is "the gold standard in forensic science." Robinson's attorneys had not commented on his guilt or innocence but had sought unsuccessfully to have certain evidence suppressed. Judge Graf would decide at the conclusion of the hearing whether prosecutors had presented enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial. The courtroom waited.
Notable Quotes
To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system.— Jeffrey Neiman, Kirk family attorney
DNA testing is the gold standard in forensic science.— Lawrence Quarino, forensics expert and director of forensic science program at Cedar Crest College
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