A dirty towel and a stray screwdriver. That is what connects Tyler Robinson to the rooftop assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. But he did not leave his genetic footprint alone. Forensic experts testified that the DNA of Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s former roommate and lover, was also smeared across the key evidence.
Robinson, 23, stands accused of gunning down Kirk during a Turning Point USA rally at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Police say he wrapped the suspected murder weapon—a retrofitted Mauser 98 bolt-action rifle—in a dark towel and dumped it in the woods near campus.
They found it. They also found a screwdriver near the sniper’s perch on the Losee Center roof.
Both items carried a genetic cocktail. FBI forensic analyst Amanda Bakker testified that Robinson was the primary contributor to the DNA mixture on both the towel and the tool. Twiggs was the minority contributor.
Twiggs is currently singing to the cops. He has not been charged. Instead, he is cooperating, handing over text messages and a handwritten note where Robinson allegedly confessed to the hit. Having Twiggs’ DNA on the weapon wrapper actually helps the state. It ties the roommates to the physical evidence, squeezing the defense into a tight corner.
This week’s preliminary hearing in Provo is a formality. Prosecutors only need to show probable cause to push this to a capital murder trial. They are laying out the puzzle pieces anyway.
State investigators showed surveillance footage of Robinson’s Dodge Challenger prowling the campus. They detailed the ballistics. The vintage Mauser rifle had been modified to fire .30-06 rounds, matching the bullet fragments dug out of Kirk during the autopsy.
Defense attorney Michael Burt spent hours grilling the FBI’s DNA expert, trying to muddy the genetic waters. He dragged the cross-examination out so long that prosecutor Ryan McBride openly mocked the delay, drawing chuckles from a gallery packed with Kirk’s grieving family.
Kirk’s widow, Erika, watched the technical charts closely, occasionally shaking her head. Across the room, Robinson fidgeted in his chair.
He has not entered a plea yet. He will have to soon. Legal experts say the state’s mountain of evidence makes a trial inevitable. Barring a miracle, Robinson is headed for a date with a judge, a jury, and a potential death sentence.
