Utah judge rejects bid to force Kirk suspect’s roommate to testify

A Utah judge has blocked the defense from forcing Lance Twiggs, Tyler Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner, to testify in person at the preliminary hearing in the Charlie Kirk murder case. The ruling keeps the focus on a narrower question that will matter most on July 6-10 in Provo: whether prosecutors can show probable cause to send the aggravated murder case to trial.

Fourth District Judge Tony Graf also rejected a defense effort to bar the state from using reliable hearsay at the hearing. At the preliminary stage, the court is not deciding guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, only whether the state has enough evidence to proceed. Graf said the defense had not shown that Twiggs’s live testimony was needed at that lower standard, and denied the request without prejudice so it can be renewed if the prosecution’s presentation changes or if the defense identifies testimony likely to undercut probable cause.

Prosecutors say Twiggs has already given investigators a recorded interview and has been granted use-immunity for his statements. They plan to rely on that recording rather than call him as a live witness. The state says Twiggs told investigators that Robinson admitted to killing Charlie Kirk, and it has argued that Twiggs is not a material witness for the preliminary hearing.

The defense sees it differently. It has argued that Twiggs is central because prosecutors say he received a note and text messages from Robinson after the shooting, including a note in which Robinson allegedly wrote that he had taken the opportunity to kill Kirk. Defense filings also refer to Twiggs as “Luna” and use she/her pronouns, while Graf’s ruling used Lance Twiggs and he/him pronouns. That clash underscores how much of the fight now centers on what evidence the judge will allow the state to summarize, and how much the defense can probe before trial.

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder in the killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk died after the shooting, and Robinson was arrested after a brief statewide manhunt on Sept. 11-12, 2025. Prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. For now, Graf’s ruling gives the state another procedural advantage as the July hearing approaches, while leaving the defense to challenge the case’s backbone at the probable-cause stage.