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PROVO, Utah — A towel and screwdriver recovered during the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassination allegedly had his suspected killer Tyler Robinson’s DNA on it — along with that of his former lover and roommate, Lance Twiggs.
Robinson, 23, allegedly used the towel to conceal the suspected murder weapon in the woods near Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
He is accused of fatally shooting the 31-year-old Kirk during a Turning Point USA event at the school that day.
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Charlie Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
It’s unclear what the screwdriver was for, but police testified at Robinson’s preliminary hearing this week that they found it near an alleged sniper’s perch overlooking the TPUSA event.
Both Twiggs and Robinson provided buccal swabs to law enforcement that were used to build their full DNA profiles.
Robinson’s preliminary hearing began Monday and is expected to take all week. Prosecutors must establish probable cause in order for the judge to green light the path to trial on a slew of charges, including aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty.
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Tyler Robinson, accused of the murder of Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah on Dec. 11, 2025. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via Pool)
David Hull, of the Utah Department of Public Safety, returned to the witness stand Tuesday morning as prosecutors played surveillance video they allege shows Robinson making his way around campus before and after the shooting, as well as coming and going in his Dodge Challenger.
The second witness of the day, Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina with the State Bureau of Investigations, led the evidence response team processing the scenes at UVU after the shooting.
Faumuina testified that her team recovered a screwdriver from the campus’ Losee Center rooftop, where Robinson is alleged to have fired the shot that killed Kirk.
Charlie Kirk’s parents Robert W. Kirk and Kathryn Kirk arrive at the Fourth Judicial District Courthouse to attend a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah, U.S., July 6, 2026. (REUTERS/Jim Urquhart)
She also testified that her team recovered the suspected murder weapon, a Mauser 98 bolt-action rifle wrapped in a dark-colored towel nearby. It had been retrofitted to fire .30-06 rounds, consistent with the caliber of bullet fragments recovered during Kirk’s autopsy.
Faumuina testified that both the towel and the screwdriver had DNA consistent with the same two males — Robinson and Twiggs.
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.
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Matt Robinson and Amber Robinson arrive at the Fourth Judicial District Courthouse to attend a preliminary hearing for their son, Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, in Provo, Utah, U.S., July 6, 2026. (REUTERS/Jim Urquhart)
Later Tuesday, FBI forensic analyst Amanda Bakker testified that Robinson is likely the majority donor in mixed DNA samples found on both items. Twiggs is believed to be the minority contributor on both.
Prosecutor Ryan McBride objected multiple times during Bakker’s lengthy questioning from defense attorney Michael Burt, arguing that the defense went well “beyond the scope of determining probable cause.”
At one point, Judge Tony Graf Jr. asked how far he intended to go in a line of questioning, to which Burt responded he had one more question before moving on.
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A still image from video shows Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, attending a preliminary hearing presided over by District Court Judge Tony Graf at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, U.S., July 6, 2026. (Reuters TV/Pool via REUTERS.)
“I’ll hold them to that,” McBride said, prompting laughter inside the courtroom.
As the DNA questioning dragged on for much of the afternoon, Erika Kirk at one point shook her head as she listened to Burt grilling Bakker.
Observers in the gallery, including Erika Kirk, intently watched as Bakker explained a graph displaying specific DNA markers.
Kirk leaned forward and tilted her head as she listened to testimony.
Robinson was also listening and fidgeting. A member of Robinson’s family yawned.
Kirk’s father occasionally took notes.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
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If prosecutors prevail in establishing probable cause, which experts say is widely expected, he would be asked to do so.
“Barring the prosecutor somehow forgetting how to get to the courthouse, there’s no realistic chance the state fails to establish probable cause,” Maryland attorney Randolph Rice, who represented the family of Rachel Morin, told Digital Tuesday.
