Updated

Updated · CNN · Jul 9

Utah Prosecutors Rest Case in Charlie Kirk Killing as Roommate Recounts Robinson Confession

Updated

Updated · CNN · Jul 9

Utah Prosecutors Rest Case in Charlie Kirk Killing as Roommate Recounts Robinson Confession

Q: Why was the suspect's roommate granted immunity despite his DNA being found on key evidence?

He appears to have been granted limited-use immunity because prosecutors view him as a key cooperating witness, not because they concluded the DNA alone proved he participated in the killing. The hearing record shows Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, is central to the state’s case: prosecutors say Robinson left him a note confessing he “had enough” of Kirk’s hatred, sent him incriminating texts, and made statements that help establish motive and intent. The additional reporting says Twiggs’ recorded statement will be introduced and that he received limited-use immunity, which typically protects a witness from having their compelled statements used against them, rather than giving blanket protection for any crime. His DNA being found on the screwdriver and the towel around the rifle does not, by itself, establish criminal liability. In a shared living situation, DNA can be transferred innocently or indirectly, and the defense has already challenged the reliability and interpretation of the FBI testing. Prosecutors may have decided the physical evidence against Twiggs was too ambiguous to charge him, while his testimony or prior statements were valuable in building the case against Robinson. So the most supported explanation is prosecutorial strategy: secure cooperation from a witness whose evidence may help prove the murder case, while treating the DNA findings as insufficient on their own to show he was a participant.

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 9

Four law-enforcement witnesses closed the state’s preliminary-hearing case Thursday after Tyler Robinson’s former roommate said Robinson admitted the shooting and “wishes he hadn’t done it.”
Texts shown in court allegedly captured Robinson writing “I am, I’m sorry” and saying he had “enough of his hatred” after Twiggs asked whether he killed Charlie Kirk.
Ballistics and tool-mark testimony tied a Mauser .30-06 rifle found near campus to cartridge casings seized from Robinson’s home, while prosecutors also pointed to a Dremel allegedly used to engrave rounds.
One ATF examiner gave the defense an opening, testifying a bullet fragment from Kirk’s body could neither be identified nor excluded as having been fired from the recovered rifle.
Robinson, 23, faces aggravated murder and six other counts in the September 2025 killing of Kirk, 31, at a Utah Valley University event, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.