Prosecutors plan to play redacted statements from roommate of defendant in Charlie Kirk’s killing

Prosecutors plan to play redacted statements from roommate of defendant in Charlie Kirk’s killing 0 seconds of 1 minute, 2 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? 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Prosecutors aim to show that they have enough evidence against Tyler Robinson to proceed to a trial. 2 of 6 | Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File) 3 of 6 | Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, listens during a preliminary hearing at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, Pool) 4 of 6 | Agent Brian Davis, of the State Bureau of Investigation, testifies during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, Pool) 5 of 6 | Defense attorney Michael Burt looks on during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, Pool) 6 of 6 | Police officials handle a dog as people access the limited public seating available at a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the Utah man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil) By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and MATTHEW BROWN Updated 6:02 AM MESZ, July 9, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Provo, Utah (AP) — Utah prosecutors plan to play audio clips in open court Thursday of law enforcement officials interviewing the roommate of the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Defense attorneys fought against the public release of the statements from Tyler Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs. They said prosecutors would characterize the statements as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial if the statements are broadcast by the media. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the fatal shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanize the youth vote for Trump in the 2024 election. Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for Twiggs that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Robinson also allegedly sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.” Twiggs spoke to authorities on Sept. 12 — two days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University — and again on April 20. He was given immunity for the statements, meaning what Twiggs said cannot be used against him in a potential criminal case. State District Judge Tony Graf will decide at the conclusion of this week’s preliminary hearing if prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial. More coverage Utah campus where Charlie Kirk was shot provided less security than other venues as he toured nation A timeline of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the arrest of a suspect Charlie Kirk’s AI resurrection ushers in a new era of digital grief 23 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. Attorneys for Kirk’s family and the media had urged the judge to make Twiggs’ statements and other evidence public. “To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system,” Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman told Graf. Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once through the neck as the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk was declared dead after being taken to a hospital. Investigators found the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot. Robinson’s lawyers earlier this week questioned the reliability of DNA testing used to link the defendant to the towel and gun. A member of Tyler Robinson’s defense team interrogated a DNA analyst from the FBI about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to the evidence. Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions. “She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,” Burt argued. But forensics expert Lawrence Quarino said law enforcement agencies use “extremely reliable” tests to determine the probability that a person matches with DNA found at a crime scene. DNA testing “is the gold standard in forensic science,” said Quarino, a professor and director of the forensic science program at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania. HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Schoenbaum is a national reporter for The Associated Press, based Salt Lake City, Utah. She covers politics, policy and breaking news in the Mountain West and beyond. twitter mailto MATTHEW BROWN Brown is based in Billings, Montana. He covers breaking news, the environment, politics, energy, crime and more.