Here’s What You Need To Know About The Charlie Kirk Assassination Trial, Day 5
Whether Tyler Robinson will stand trial for the assassination of Charlie Kirk won't be decided until September.Whether Tyler Robinson will stand trial for the assassination of Charlie Kirk won't be decided until September.Tyler Robinson refuses to testify after prosecutors bury him with evidence
The preliminary hearing regarding whether to try Tyler Robinson for his alleged assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk drew to close on Friday with state District Judge Tony Graf now in the possession of a wealth of damning evidence.
Over the course of the five-day hearing, the court heard or saw:
- surveillance camera footage showing the suspected assassin skulking around campus on the day of the shooting, developing a stiff leg after an apparent costume change, climbing onto a rooftop, running to a "sniper pad" on the rooftop overlooking the site where Kirk was shot, and dropping down from the roof immediately after the shooting, then fleeing the scene with "some kind of object" in his hand;
- that Robinson ate a Chick-fil-A on campus, where he was not a student, and allegedly interacted with TPUSA staff at the scene;
- a video of Robinson's homosexual lover Lance Twiggs' deposition, where he claimed that the individual seen in the surveillance footage "definitely" looked like Robinson;
- Twiggs' testimony that Robinson left their shared apartment unusually early on the day of the shooting, had "started crying a bit" when he came back the morning after, and had told Twiggs "he wishes he hadn't done it";
- Twiggs' testimony that he lent Robinson a tool to engrave some ammunition, especially relevant because the suspected murder weapon contained ammunition with engravings that included "Hey fascist! Catch" and "If you read this, you are gay, LMAO";
- text messages between the gay lovers in which Robinson allegedly referred to one of the engravings on the ammunition, allegedly writing, "If I see 'uwu notices bulge' on fox new [sic] I might have a stroke";
- text messages between Robinson and Twiggs in which the suspected killer allegedly admitted to killing Kirk, told his boyfriend that he "had enough of [Kirk's] hatred," and discussed retrieving his rifle from a "drop point" and leaving behind "no evidence";
- testimony from Utah Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina indicating that the two sets of male DNA discovered on the towel wrapped around the suspected murder weapon were a match to Twiggs and very likely to Robinson;
- testimony from David Hull, a former Utah State Bureau of Investigation special agent who led the probe in the assassination, that a male was spotted by a Spanish Forks police officer in a car registered to Robinson near Campus Drive early on Sept. 11, the day after the assassination; and
- testimony on Friday from Caitlin Oliver, a forensic biologist at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, that testing on swabs taken from several parts of the suspected murder weapon and the ammunition supports the conclusion that the DNA found was primarily contributed by Robinson.
On Friday, a zoomed-in version of the footage allegedly showing Robinson crawling out to a "sniper's perch" was also shown in the courtroom.
The footage was not, however, broadcast for public consumption in part because a media cameraman had violated a court order on Thursday, accidentally showing an exhibit that was not allowed to be published — a handwritten note allegedly from Robinson to Twiggs in which the author wrote,
If you are reading this per my text, then I am so sorry. I left the house this morning on a mission, and set an auto text. I am likely dead, or facing a lengthy prison sentence. I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it. I don't know if I will/have succeeded, but I had hoped to make it home to you.
While the evidence was already public, having previously appeared in the search warrant released in March, the defense made a fuss such that the violation dominated the discussion for the early portion of Friday's hearing.
Robinson chose not to testify during the pretrial hearing and has not entered a plea.
RELATED: Hearing bombshell as gay lover ties Tyler Robinson to damning evidence in Kirk assassination
Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, a capital first-degree felony; felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury; committing a violent offense in the presence of a child; two counts of obstruction of justice — a second-degree felony; and two counts of witness tampering for allegedly telling his boyfriend to delete his text messages and to stay quiet if questioned by police.
The hearing will resume on Sept. 1, when both the prosecution and the defense will be afforded one last opportunity to make their final arguments to Graf about whether Robinson should stand trial.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
New Testimony Builds Case That Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated For Christian Belief
Because Graf ruled that the document is admissible, he bolstered the prosecution's case for the victim-targeting enhancement, which could increase Robinson's punishment if he is found guilty.Here’s What You Need To Know About The Charlie Kirk Assassination Trial, Day 4
Judge Tony Graf will make a determination as to whether this case will go to trial Friday after a review of all evidence entered.Watch: Trans Lover Says Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassin Admitted He ‘Wishes He Hadn’t Done It’
On the fourth day of Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing, Judge Tony Graf just authorized the release of redacted footage from an interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, overruling objections from the defense. In the 23 minutes of video, prosecutor Ryan McBride questions Twiggs about the nature of his relationship with Robinson, asks […]Hearing bombshell as gay lover ties Tyler Robinson to damning evidence in Kirk assassination
On Thursday, the Utah prosecutors working to convince state District Judge Tony Graf to try Charlie Kirk's suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, for aggravated murder delivered perhaps the most damning pieces of evidence yet.
In a pre-recorded deposition played in court despite protest from the defense, Lance Twiggs — Robinson's trans-identifying homosexual lover who was given immunity for the statements — says that the individual shown in FBI images taken from the Utah Valley University surveillance footage played in court earlier this week "looks like [Robinson] in terms of the shoes he's wearing, the sunglasses."
'I will have left no evidence.'
"It's definitely, especially the bottom, the last two [images], definitely do look like him," continued Twiggs, who spoke to authorities on Sept. 12 and again on April 20. "They do look like Tyler Robinson."
The court saw surveillance videos on Tuesday showing the individual who Twiggs said looked like Robinson skulking around Utah Valley University campus — where he was not a student — ahead of the Sept. 10 shooting and ascend onto the roof of the Losee Center building.
Twiggs, who started dating the suspected assassin in 2023 and lived with Robinson in a townhouse in St. George, Utah, also told law enforcement that on the day of Kirk's killing, Robinson left their residence earlier than usual — as early as 4 a.m.
Twiggs noted further that he lent Robinson a tool to engrave some bullets for a supposed hunting trip.
In the aftermath of Kirk's assassination, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) confirmed that investigators found an inscription on a spent fire casing that read, "Notices bulges, OwO what's this?" — an alleged reference to an online meme that has been used to mock gay furries — as well as the following inscriptions on unfired cartridges:
- "Hey fascist! Catch! ↑ → ↓ ↓ ↓" — the arrows are an apparent reference to a move in the video game "Helldivers 2" that sets the stage for the deployment of a large bomb;
- "Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao," lyrics from an Italian folk song that has been embraced by anti-fascist movements and various leftist causes and features in the violent Spanish TV show "Money Heist." Willem van Spronsen, the Antifa terrorist who firebombed a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in July 2019, apparently referred to the song in his final statement; and
- "If you read this, you are gay, LMAO."
Twiggs claimed that the morning after the shooting, Robinson returned to the apartment and appeared nervous.
"He started crying a little bit," Twiggs claimed, "and said he wishes he hadn't done it."
Utah State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis walked the court through text messages between Twiggs and the alleged assassin where Robinson allegedly wrote in the wake of the shooting, "Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you."
Robinson allegedly added, "I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down."
"If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence," Robinson allegedly wrote. "Going to attempt to retrieve it again."
Earlier in the week, Utah Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina testified that the two sets of male DNA discovered on the towel wrapped around the suspected murder weapon were a match to Twiggs and very likely to Robinson.
The texts read by Davis show that when asked by Twiggs why he had allegedly done it, Robinson allegedly answered, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Judge Blocks Charlie Kirk Family’s Request For Transparency In Hearing Evidence
The Kirk family argued that full transparency in this case is necessary to combat conspiracy theorists who continue to point fingers at anyone but the man who confessed to the murder.Watch live: Day 4 of the Charlie Kirk assassination Tyler Robinson pretrial hearing
Watch live as Day 4 of the preliminary hearing in the murder case of Charlie Kirk gets under way in Provo, Utah.
After a dramatic third day dominated by legal battles over key evidence, prosecutors are expected to present the redacted recorded statements of Tyler Robinson's former roommate, Lance Twiggs, along with additional digital evidence they say ties Robinson to the murder.
Day 3 also included testimony surrounding Robinson's surrender to law enforcement, while defense attorneys continued challenging the prosecution's forensic evidence and fought to limit what the judge could consider. With the hearing entering its final stages, today's testimony could be among the most significant yet as prosecutors work to convince Judge Tony Graf there is enough evidence to send Robinson to trial on aggravated murder charges and pursue the death penalty.
Watch Day 4 live:
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Today's top stories
thefederalist.com
www.theblaze.com