Tyler Robinson allegedly engraved memes onto the bullet casings he loaded into a rifle before firing at Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last September. One of those casings read, "Hey fascist! Catch!" Another: "If you read this you are gay LMAO."
On Friday, when given the chance to explain all that to a judge, the 23-year-old declined.
Robinson's refusal to testify came on Day 5 of a preliminary hearing at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, where prosecutors spent the week burying him under a mountain of physical evidence, text messages, and his own confession to the September 10, 2025, assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. State District Judge Tony Graf Jr. adjourned the hearing and scheduled oral arguments on probable cause for September 1, 2026.
The prosecution's case, led by Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride, reads less like a whodunit and more like a documented timeline of premeditation. Approximately one month before the shooting, Robinson asked his roommate and former romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, for a Dremel rotary tool. He said he wanted to engrave messages on bullets for a "family hunting trip." Four cartridge casings recovered from the suspected murder weapon bore inscriptions — meme references and internet slang, including the anti-fascist folk song lyric "O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao."
A handwritten note was found under Robinson's keyboard. According to Twiggs' recorded law enforcement interview, played in court on Day 4, it read: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it."
The morning of the shooting, Robinson told Twiggs he had a "long drive to work." Kirk was appearing at a "Prove Me Wrong" event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah — the first stop of "The American Comeback Tour." After the shot, Robinson allegedly texted Twiggs: "I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet." When Twiggs asked directly if Robinson was the shooter, the reply was two words: "I am."
Twiggs, who was granted use immunity, told investigators that Robinson "said he wishes he hadn't done it" and "started crying a little bit" the day after the killing. In other messages, Robinson wrote: "I had enough of his hatred, some hate can't be negotiated out." He also told Twiggs: "Only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel" — which is exactly where investigators found it, in a wooded area near the campus.
The forensic evidence matched the confession. ATF forensic biologist Caitlin Oliver testified that the DNA samples found on the rifle were "at least 1 trillion times more likely to have been contributed by Tyler Robinson" than by anyone else. Robinson's DNA appeared on at least 12 parts of the weapon. Sergeant Jennifer Faumuina of the Utah Department of Public Safety described the rooftop firing position, where investigators recovered a screwdriver, shoe prints, and what appeared to be a sniper perch.
Defense attorney Richard Novak pushed back on the DNA characterization, getting Oliver to confirm that the likelihood ratio methodology technically doesn't support a flat statement like "Mr. Robinson's DNA found on this item." That's the defense's best card so far — a footnote about statistical language while the prosecution has texts, DNA, a confession to a roommate, engraved bullet casings, and a handwritten note declaring intent.
Robinson faces aggravated murder charges. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Kirk was 31.
What the hearing laid bare wasn't just evidence — it was the full architecture of a planned political killing. Robinson didn't snap. He acquired a rifle, customized ammunition with ideological graffiti, scouted a rooftop position, fired from 140 yards, stashed the weapon, and then texted his ex-boyfriend about it. A month of preparation for one trigger pull at a conservative campus event.
Robinson chose not to speak. Written briefs from both sides are due before September 1, when the judge will hear arguments and decide whether the case goes to trial. Given the week the prosecution just had, that ruling feels less like a question and more like a formality.
