Day 4 Of Kirk Murder Hearing Features Testimony From Alleged Killer’s Boyfriend

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Day 4 Of Kirk Murder Hearing Features Testimony From Alleged Killer’s Boyfriend

Thursday marked day four of the preliminary hearing for Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, and featured the dramatic recorded testimony of Robinson’s roomate, Lance Twiggs.

Prosecutors played Twiggs’ testimony with heavy redaction as part of the ongoing hearing, which aims to establish whether there is probable cause for a full trial. Judge Tony Graf also heard hours of testimony about the gun recovered at the scene, the bullets recovered at the scene and at Robinson’s residence, and the bullet recovered from the autopsy.

The hearing is set to resume at 9:00 a.m. MDT Friday, which is also the final scheduled day of the hearing.

Timeline Has Been Delayed

Judge Graf announced today that the court will allow each party to submit a written brief before he makes a determination about proceeding to trial. The prosecution’s brief is due July 28, the defense’s is due Aug. 11, the prosecution’s rebuttal is due Aug. 18, and the final oral arguments are set for Sept. 1 at 10:00 a.m. MDT.

The defense requested the briefing decision because “there are some legal issues which the defense would like to brief for the court.”

Lance Twiggs’ Recorded Testimony

Lance Twiggs’ recorded testimony was heavily redacted, but still included new revelations. (RELATED: Lance Twiggs Says Tyler Robinson Admitted To Murdering Charlie Kirk)

Twiggs confirmed that he and Robinson were “dating” and testified that when he saw Robinson after the murder, the defendant “didn’t go into detail” about what he had done but confirmed that a text message confessing to the murder was authentic.

“I just asked him in person if what he said was true the night before, and he said it was, and he started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn’t done it,” Twiggs testified.

Twiggs also testified that the photos of the suspected shooter taken from Utah Valley University (UVU) surveillance footage and published by the FBI “do look like Tyler Robinson.”

Twiggs’ testimony also appears to have confirmed the timeline of events leading up to Kirk‘s death. He testified that Robinson left their Saint George, Utah, apartment at approximately 4:00 a.m. The drive from Saint George to Utah Valley University is about 3 hours and 45 minutes, which aligns with surveillance video that shows Robinson arriving at UVU around 8:00 a.m.

Letter From Robinson To Twigs Accidentally Shown

During the hearing, the courtroom camera operator accidentally broadcast an image of a letter Robinson allegedly left for Twiggs due to an apparent misunderstanding about what evidence could to be shown to the media. (RELATED: Camera Operator Accidentally Reveals Alleged Handwritten Admission of Guilt From Tyler Robinson)

Quotes from the letter had been published in pervious statements, but no image of the physical document had been released. The letter reads “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 autotext. 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 it will/have succeeded, but I had hoped to make it home to you.”

Testimony On Recovered Firearm And Bullets

During the testimony of Utah Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina, multiple photos from Utah Valley University and Tyler Robinson’s apartment were presented to the court.

One photo showed the spot where a the alleged murder weapon — a Mauser 98 retrofitted with a .30-06 barrel — was found in the woods behind Utah Valley University.

At the scene, “one .30-06 cartridge case was found, along with 3 unfired cartridge case, all with engravings on them,” Sgt. Faumuina testified. The engravings included a mix of internet memes and antifascist slogans, including “hey fascist,” “o bella ciao,” “Notices Bulge/OwO/What’s This?,” and “if you are reading this, you are gay, LMAO.”

Sgt. Faumuina also testified that “boxes of .30-06 cartridges and cartridge cases” were found in Robinson’s apartment. One of the used cartridge cases was engraved with the words “test shot.”

Samantha Karner, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) testified that the ATF report produced a list of weapons which could have fired the bullet which was recovered in the autopsy. Three .30-06 firearms appeared on the list which the ATF produced.

A comparison between a test fire of the gun found on scene and the bullet recovered during the autopsy was “inconclusive,” meaning there was not sufficient evidence to either confirm or rule out that the test fire and fragment recovered from the autopsy “originated from the same source.”

This is due to the lack of useable markings along the bullets which were recovered from the autopsy. Ms. Karner’s testimony also showed several locations where the test fire and bullet recovered from the scene showed signs of agreement, meaning they could have come from the same weapon.

The defense objected to the methodology of the bullet analysis, but the judge ruled that the objection was outside of the scope of a preliminary hearing. When cross-examined by the prosecution, Ms. Karner discussed her laboratory’s quality, training, and accreditation.

Debate On The Kirk Family Viewing Surveillance Footage

Erika Kirk’s lawyer spoke up Thursday, requesting that the “enhanced surveillance footage” from Utah Valley University be presented to the courtroom, for the sake of the family’s closure. Kirk’s lawyer did not request for the media to see this footage, only those present in the courtroom.

The defense responded by describing the podcaster’s widow as “adept at holding press conferences” and suggesting that she could hold a press conference in that moment and show the video to the public. The defense also argued that the Kirk family has access all of the evidence the state has, claiming Kirk treats the state prosecutors as “her personal lawyers.”

The Kirk family lawyer clarified that the family does not have access to the enhanced video footage.

The judge ruled that the video will be played “at the conclusion at the defense’s presentation of evidence,”

Erika Kirk’s Morning Filing

Erika Kirk and the Kirk family have motioned for the court to publish all admitted evidence to the courtroom to help fight conspiracy theories. (RELATED: Erika Kirk Demands Full Transparency In Murder Trial Preliminary Hearing)

On Thursday morning, the judge ruled that the same rules will remain in place, meaning some evidence will be kept private for the protection of Robinson’s 14th amendments constitutional rights to due process.