Court details reveal suspect Tyler Robinson expressed deep regret to his roommate following the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah.
A Utah courtroom heard stunning new details this week as prosecutors laid out their case against the man accused of killing high-profile conservative activist Charlie Kirk. During a multi-day hearing, a recorded interview revealed that the murder suspect, 23-year-old Tyler Robinson, broke down in tears just one day after the shooting, telling his roommate that he “wishes he hadn’t done it.”
A five-day preliminary court hearing is taking place to decide if there is enough evidence to send Tyler Robinson to a full trial for aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, presenting a mountain of evidence that points directly to Robinson. The state played a recorded police interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner. Twiggs testified that when he confronted Robinson about the killing, Robinson admitted to the crime and expressed deep regret. Prosecutors also showed text messages where Robinson apologized for involving his roommate, writing that he had originally hoped to keep the killing a secret until he died of old age. Additional evidence introduced by the state included Discord chat logs where Robinson allegedly wrote “it was me” just an hour before surrendering, alongside FBI DNA tracking that highly matches Robinson’s profile to the rifle found near the crime scene.
The legal proceedings are currently happening at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah. However, the crime itself took place at Utah Valley University, located in Orem, Utah. Investigators testified that the shooter set up a “sniper pad” on a nearby campus rooftop, firing a single, fatal shot into an outdoor amphitheater. Interestingly, the suspect’s emotional confession to his roommate happened over 200 miles away at their shared apartment in St. George, Utah, where Robinson fled immediately after the attack.
The fatal shooting occurred on September 10, 2025, while Charlie Kirk was addressing a crowd of several thousand people on the university campus. Robinson turned himself in to law enforcement a day later, on September 12, 2025. This week’s crucial preliminary hearing, which brought these hidden text messages and recordings to light, concluded its arguments on Thursday, July 9, 2026. State District Judge Tony Graf is expected to issue a formal ruling at the end of the week on whether the case moves forward to a full criminal trial.
According to prosecutors, the attack was a planned assassination fueled by political motives. The state introduced a partially burned note that Robinson allegedly left for Twiggs, which read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.” Text messages sent by the suspect further claimed he targeted the Turning Point USA co-founder because he had “had enough of his hatred.” Investigators also discovered ammunition at the scene engraved with politically charged insults.
The courtroom was packed with prominent figures monitoring the case, including Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, his parents, and Donald Trump Jr. While Robinson’s defense team fought hard to block the public from seeing the confession notes and videos, arguing it would ruin his chances of getting a fair trial, Judge Graf allowed the evidence to be openly displayed to maintain judicial transparency. Robinson has yet to enter an official plea.
