Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Jul 9

Tyler Robinson, 23, Admitted Charlie Kirk Killing in Texts as Court Hears Note and Regret

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Jul 9

Tyler Robinson, 23, Admitted Charlie Kirk Killing in Texts as Court Hears Note and Regret

Q: Why was the suspect's partner, whose DNA was on the weapon, granted immunity instead of facing charges?

He was granted immunity because prosecutors viewed him as a necessary cooperating witness, not because they had ruled out his possible exposure. Court records indicate Lance Twiggs received “use immunity,” a narrower form of protection that prevents his statements to investigators from being used against him in a future criminal case. It does not necessarily bar charges based on other independent evidence. Prosecutors used that protection to secure his recorded interviews and avoid his invoking the Fifth Amendment. Twiggs was central to the case against Tyler Robinson. Investigators say Robinson left him a note saying he intended to kill Charlie Kirk and later sent a text effectively confirming he was the shooter. Prosecutors also wanted Twiggs’ account to explain the relationship between the two men, the apartment they shared, and the alleged confession evidence. His DNA being found on the towel wrapped around the rifle created potential criminal exposure for Twiggs, which made immunity more important from the prosecution’s perspective. Rather than charge him immediately and risk losing his cooperation, prosecutors appear to have decided that his testimony and statements were more valuable in building the aggravated murder case against Robinson. So the practical answer is that immunity was a prosecutorial tool: it allowed investigators to obtain key evidence from a witness whose own connection to the weapon could otherwise have led him to remain silent.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 9

Prosecutors on Thursday unveiled texts, Discord messages and a handwritten note they say show Tyler Robinson confessed to killing Charlie Kirk and later told his partner he wished he had not done it.
The note left under a keyboard said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it,” while Discord messages urged friends to compare surveillance photos and conclude “It was me.”
Testimony placed the fatal shot about 415 feet from Kirk’s Utah Valley University event, and prosecutors said Robinson left home around 4 a.m., set an auto-text and later asked Lance Twiggs to delete their exchanges.
The evidence came on the fourth day of a preliminary hearing to decide whether Robinson will stand trial for aggravated murder and potentially face the death penalty, with prosecutors also arguing he targeted Kirk over political views.