The third day of the preliminary hearings for accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson took place on Wednesday as the prosecution seeks to convince the judge to allow the case to go to trial.
Much of the day’s proceedings focused on the hours after Robinson turned himself in after the shooting and a conflict over whether to play a recorded interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s romantic partner and roommate.
State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis took the stand and recounted rushing to St. George, which is more than 260 miles from the crime scene, after learning a suspect planned to turn himself in.
“We received information that an individual was turning himself in, or had turned himself in, was going to turn himself in to police in regard to his involvement with the incident, the shooting on the UVU campus,” Davis said, according to KUER.
He explained that the defendant arrived at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office around 9 p.m. the day after the shooting. His parents and a family friend accompanied him. He was formally arrested around 4 a.m. the next day.
Investigators seized Robinson’s phone, DNA, and fingerprints. They interviewed family members before transporting the suspect back to Utah County and booking him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://x.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: Prosecutors are expected to present a recorded interview in which Tyler Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, allegedly told investigators that Robinson confessed to killing Charlie Kirk. <br><br>The recording is expected to be part of the… <a href="https://t.co/hcglZ9XeEH">pic.twitter.com/hcglZ9XeEH</a></p>— MCBN (@MCBNNEWSS) <a href="https://x.com/MCBNNEWSS/status/2075220557231014368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A significant portion of the hearing centered on whether prosecutors could play an interview with Twiggs. They wanted to introduce the footage in lieu of live testimony. But the defense pushed hard for redactions and limited public release.
“This is a preliminary hearing to the court. It’s not to the jury,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Lauren Hunt argued. “The court is fully capable of disregarding any statement it determines exceeds the proper scope.”
Attorney Jeffrey Neiman, who represents Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk and his family, called for full transparency. “This court has tools at its disposal to make sure the defendant receives a fair trial,” he said. “You’ll use them if you find that you need to.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kirk Family Demands Full Disclosure of Lance Twiggs Interviews.<br><br>The family of assassinated Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is urging the court to release unredacted interviews with the transgender lover of Kirk’s accused murderer, Tyler Robinson.<br><br>PULSE POINTS<br><br>❓ WHAT… <a href="https://t.co/mR5R4VVVou">pic.twitter.com/mR5R4VVVou</a></p>— The National Pulse (@TheNatPulse) <a href="https://x.com/TheNatPulse/status/2075220344500093109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Defense attorney Richard Novak insisted that Robinson’s right to a fair trial trumps the need for transparency. “With all due respect to the Kirk family, and with all due respect to the media, and with all due respect to the public, the number one concern in this proceeding is Mr. Robinson’s right to a fair trial,” he argued. “Which means a jury which has not been exposed before, under this court’s supervision, with this court’s guidance to pretrial information of this nature.”
Judge Tony Graf ultimately decided to order additional redactions, but allow the recording to be played, saying he was putting on “an imperfect balancing act” but trying “to act in the interest of justice.”
The video will be played during Thursday’s hearing.
The earlier hearings focused on surveillance footage appearing to show Robinson arriving and moving around on campus on the day of the shooting. They also featured forensic evidence tying him to the murder weapon and other objects.
The defense challenged aspects of the DNA testing methods used to handle the evidence.
The hearing is expected to conclude by the end of the week with additional witness testimony from both sides. The prosecution indicated it is close to concluding its presentation. The defense plans to call witnesses from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
After both sides make their cases to the judge, he will decide whether there is enough evidence to warrant sending Robinson to a full trial. The defendant has not yet issued a plea. Prosecutors say they will push for the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.