By Andrew Hay
July 9 (Reuters) - The former roommate of Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk, told prosecutors that Robinson expressed regret a day after the killing and planned to hand himself over to police, according to a video interview played in court on Thursday.
The recorded interview with Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, was presented as prosecutors tried to convince a Utah judge they have sufficient evidence against Robinson to warrant a trial -- part of a week-long hearing that has featured lengthy back-and-forth arguments about what evidence should be admissible.
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 April 20 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 Sept. 10, 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 three-and-a-half-hour drive south of Utah Valley University, on the morning of Sept. 11.
"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 jeopardize 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 Kirk family has waited 10 months for this hearing ... they have a right to hear the evidence," lawyer Jeffrey Neiman told the court.
'I HAD ENOUGH OF HIS HATRED'
In court this week, Robinson's lawyers have suggested police failed to investigate possible evidence that someone else might have carried out the killing.
Prosecutors on Thursday presented redacted evidence of September 10 text messages between Robinson and Twiggs, a Discord group chat and a photograph of a handwritten note.
The volume 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.
Text messages presented by prosecutors show that Twiggs asked Robinson why he shot Kirk, and he replied: "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."
In the April 20 interview, Twiggs said he first met Robinson in 2023 when he moved into the shared townhouse, and they started dating about three months later.
Prosecutors contend the text messages indicate Robinson targeted Kirk because of his conservative political views, including anti-LGBTQ comments. The defense disputes the prosecution's characterization and has sought to limit the use of evidence pointing to a political motive, which could be used in arguments for the death penalty.
Twiggs said he rarely discussed politics with Robinson, and the first time they spoke of Kirk was after the shooting.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Jesse Mesner-Hage and David Gaffen)
