The former roommate of the man accused of killing conservative American activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk said Tyler Robinson expressed regret a day after the murder. In a video interview played in court, the roommate told prosecutors that Robinson planned to turn himself in to police.
Prosecutors presented a recorded interview with Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, as they sought to show a Utah judge they have enough evidence to send the case to trial.
The interview was part of a week-long hearing focused on disputes over which evidence can be admitted.
Robinson, who was studying to be an electrician at the time of the shooting, faces seven criminal charges including aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. He has yet to enter a plea.
The 31-year-old Kirk, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, was killed in front of thousands as he debated students at Utah Valley University. It is one of the highest-profile incidents among a series of attacks on politicians and prominent figures that have intensified concern over U.S. political violence.
In the 20 April interview, which was partially redacted on the orders of District Judge Tony Graf, Utah County prosecutor Ryan McBride asked Twiggs about text messages he exchanged with Robinson in the hours after Kirk was killed on 10 September, 2025.
In the text messages, which have previously been made public, Robinson allegedly admitted to Twiggs that he shot Kirk.
Twiggs said Robinson returned to their three-bedroom townhouse in St. George, Utah, about a 3-1/2-hour drive south of Utah Valley University, on the morning of 11 September.
"I just asked him in person if what he said was true the night before, and he said it was. He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn't done it," Twiggs told McBride in the interview.
Twiggs agreed to the interview with prosecutors and police in lieu of testifying at the preliminary hearing, and was granted immunity for his cooperation.
Judge Graf barred parts of the interview from being played in court after Robinson's lawyer said prosecutors would portray the clips as "confessions" and jeopardise the defendant's right to a fair trial.
An attorney for Erika Kirk, Kirk's widow, who has been present throughout the preliminary hearing, called for the interview to be played in full and for all other evidence presented at the hearing to be displayed to the courtroom.
The court holds the last day of the preliminary hearing on Friday. The prosecution and defence will then submit written arguments before Graf holds a 1 September hearing on the matter.
In court this week, Robinson's lawyers suggested police failed to investigate possible evidence that someone else might have carried out the killing.
Prosecutors on Thursday presented redacted evidence of 10 September text messages between Robinson and Twiggs, a Discord group chat and a photograph of a handwritten note.
The audio on the court proceedings livestream was turned off at points as prosecutors presented evidence that Graf ruled could bias potential jurors if they heard it.
In the 20 April interview, Twiggs said he first met Robinson in 2023 when he moved into the shared townhouse, and they started dating about three months later.
The defence disputes the prosecution's characterisation and has sought to limit the use of evidence pointing to a political motive, which could be used in arguments for the death penalty.
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