The man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk sat in a Provo courtroom this week as prosecutors laid out what they say is a damning trail of physical evidence.
And now investigators have tied not one but two people’s DNA to the rifle allegedly used to kill one of Donald Trump’s closest allies.
The FBI’s findings about that towel-wrapped weapon could make it a lot harder for the defense to keep Tyler Robinson out of a death chamber.
What Investigators Found in the Woods Near Campus
Investigators found the towel and suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot.
According to the testimony of Utah Department of Public Safety Agent Jennifer Faumuina, investigators discovered a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near campus. FBI tests later found two people’s DNA on the rifle, towel, and a screwdriver recovered from the roof of the Losee Center: Robinson’s and that of his roommate at the time and alleged romantic partner, Lance Twiggs.
Faumuina read directly from the FBI report: “Male DNA was obtained from item eight sub one. The DNA results from item eight sub one are 30 quintillion times more likely if Twiggs and T Robinson are contributors than if Twiggs and an unknown unrelated person are contributors.”
Thirty quintillion. That is not a number that leaves much room for reasonable doubt.
Twiggs received limited-use immunity for statements after providing investigators with electronic messages Robinson allegedly sent admitting to the killing.
In a handwritten note and text messages, Robinson is alleged to have confessed to the crime to Twiggs, who lived with him at the time and is cooperating with investigators. Twiggs has not been charged with a crime, and the alleged presence of his DNA on the evidence is expected to strengthen the case against Robinson.
Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for Twiggs that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Prosecutors allege Robinson sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”
The Defense Pushes Back — and the Hearing Keeps Going
Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions — a theme that is likely to come up again during the five-day preliminary hearing.
Burt concluded: “She can’t match Mr Robinson to the questioned samples.”
FBI analyst Amanda Bakker told the court that DNA testing did not identify Robinson as the source, but found he could not be excluded as a “possible contributor” to DNA recovered from the towel wrapped around the rifle and a screwdriver found on the roof.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride countered that the reliability of the DNA testing could be examined if the case goes to trial. He suggested the preliminary hearing was not the time to take up the matter.
But that is the defense’s job at this stage — chip away at the edges, plant a seed of doubt, and hope the jury remembers it later. The prosecution, for now, appears to hold the stronger hand.
University of Utah law professor and former federal judge Paul Cassell said evidence made public to date in court filings suggests prosecutors have “an overwhelming case.” “This seems like the proverbial slam dunk at this stage of the case, where the only issue is whether there is a sound basis for moving forward with a trial on the merits,” he said.
The preliminary hearing in Utah County’s 4th District Court will determine whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence for the case to move forward to trial.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. They have, however, sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.
On the day Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University, surveillance video of the alleged shooter caught him moving throughout campus, speaking with Turning Point USA staff and even stopping for a meal. Utah’s lead investigator, David Hull, walked the Provo courtroom through the compilation, including footage that he said captured an individual accessing the roof and later escaping. “He moves out across Campus Drive into a wooded area on what would be kind of the northeast side of Campus Drive, then returns back onto campus,” Hull explained as the video played. “We noticed at this point that he’s no longer carrying the backpack that he was originally wearing.”
A man who allegedly just shot someone in front of thousands of people — and then walked back through campus without his backpack. The backpack that presumably held the rifle he then ditched in the woods.
Who Charlie Kirk Was — and What His Murder Means
Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on September 10, 2025, while speaking at an outdoor campus debate planned by Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization he co-founded and led. Kirk, aged 31, was a close ally of US President Donald Trump and a highly influential figure in the MAGA movement.
Shortly after the debate event began, with around 3,000 people in attendance, Kirk was fatally shot in the neck with a single bullet by a sniper positioned on the roof of a building approximately 142 yards away. Kirk was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was a close ally of President Trump and played a major role in the President’s ground game operation during the 2024 campaign. Trump in October posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s top civilian honor.
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, attended the hearing, marking the first time they have seen Robinson in person. President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, who was a friend of Charlie Kirk, was also seated in the courtroom gallery.
The Kirk family released a statement saying, “Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and father.” “Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children.”
Kirk was 31 years old. He had a wife. He had children. He was doing exactly what he had spent his adult life doing — standing in front of a crowd, making his case, taking questions — when a sniper allegedly put a rifle scope on him from a rooftop 142 yards away.
And prosecutors allege the man behind that scope had decided Kirk deserved to die for his political views.
Charging documents include a victim targeting enhancement, alleging that Tyler James Robinson intentionally selected Charlie Kirk because of Robinson’s belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.
That is political assassination. There is no softer way to put it.
Prosecutor Ryan McBride told the court: “We will offer evidence through other witnesses that talks about some of the defendants’ statements that indicate his gender persuasion, and that he falls into some of these political and gender views that Charlie Kirk argued against.” He added that “Charlie Kirk publicly in front of large gatherings of people debated and presented his views, his political views, which were tied to his religious views about gender identity, LGBTQ rights-type issues.”
Kirk built Turning Point USA into a force that registered young voters, organized campuses, and helped deliver President Trump’s second term. The left spent years treating him like a villain. Someone allegedly decided to act on that.
Kirk’s killing drew backlash from his Republican allies, including President Trump, who first announced Robinson’s arrest in a September 2025 interview on Fox News and said, “I hope he gets the death penalty.”
And that is where this case now heads. Robinson will face a five-day preliminary hearing during which prosecutors will attempt to convince state District Judge Tony Graf they have enough evidence to try the 23-year-old and seek the death penalty. The suspect is facing a slew of charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice.
The DNA evidence, the alleged confession note, the text messages, the surveillance footage placing him on campus before and after the shooting — the prosecution’s case is not built on one pillar. It is built on several, and the defense is going to have to knock down every one of them to save Robinson’s life.
Charlie Kirk’s family will be watching from the courtroom. So will the rest of the country.
Sources: New York Post, Fox News, PBS NewsHour, The Hill, KUER, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Axios, Newsweek, Biography.com, St George Utah, Utah County Attorney charging documents