UTAH COUNTY, Utah — Tyler Robinson, 22, confessed to his live-in partner, Lance Twiggs, 22, that he killed Charlie Kirk during a talk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, according to police. Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and ally of former President Donald Trump, was struck by a single gunshot while taking a question from about 3,000 students on the Orem campus. Investigators said a DNA analysis linked the rifle used in the shooting to Robinson, and authorities continue to review how the attack unfolded and whether others knew of or assisted Robinson beforehand.
Robinson remained on the run for more than a day before his parents identified him in a photo released by investigators. A family friend, described as a retired sheriff’s deputy, helped persuade Robinson to surrender after his parents confronted him with the image. Twiggs, who shared a residence with Robinson, has been cooperative with detectives and is not accused of wrongdoing in connection with the case.
In text messages between Robinson and Twiggs that authorities disclosed, Robinson mentioned engraving bullets and described the messages as largely a personal joke. He warned Twiggs against discussing the case with the media and suggested that if police asked questions, Twiggs should seek a lawyer and stay silent. Twiggs did not report the messages to police and has cooperated with investigators as they reviewed possible involvement by others.
Prosecutors have described a broader trail tying Robinson to the crime. Investigators found a note that Robison had hidden elsewhere, and described a sequence in which he allegedly told Twiggs to look under a keyboard after the shooting as investigators gathered physical evidence from the scene. They also said unspent rounds recovered from the home carried inscriptions referencing anti-fascist and pro-trans ideologies, though the precise meaning and relevance of those inscriptions were not fully explained by authorities. The communications and material evidence are part of the evidence that prosecutors say links Robinson to the killing.
According to prosecutors, the investigation also uncovered statements from Robinson indicating he had planned the killing for about a week. He reportedly instructed Twiggs to delete the text exchange and avoid discussing the case with others. Family members said Robinson had drifted politically in the previous year and had become more supportive of gay and transgender rights, a shift investigators noted in interviews with his mother. The broader context of his personal and political transformation is part of how authorities are evaluating motive, though prosecutors have not stated a targeted motive related to Kirk’s views.
Robinson and Twiggs had lived together for at least a year, authorities said. The initial arrest and subsequent charges point to a sequence in which police say Robinson carried out the shooting and then attempted to evade apprehension for more than a day before turning himself in with the help of a family contact. DNA testing linked Robinson to the weapon’s trigger, and investigators say additional physical and digital evidence reinforces the timeline presented by prosecutors.
Kirk’s death occurred as he was responding to a question involving mass shootings and transgender issues during a campus event. While authorities indicated that a determination of motive and targeting would be for a jury to decide, they stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges or persons of interest could be identified as detectives review more data and locate potential witnesses who were aware of Robinson’s plans prior to the shooting.
The case has drawn attention to safety and security at political events on college campuses and broader questions about political violence. Utah prosecutors have not indicated any changes to existing charges beyond those already filed against Robinson, and they emphasized that Twiggs remains a cooperative witness in what they described as a developing investigation. The public timeline remains focused on the sequence of events from the shooting to Robinson’s surrender, with authorities working to determine whether any accomplices played a role in facilitating the crime or shielding the suspect as he fled.