NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
PROVO, Utah – A towel and screwdriver seized during the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s murder allegedly contained his alleged killer Tyler RobinsonIt contains the DNA of his former lover and roommate Lance Twiggs.
Robinson, 23, allegedly used the towel on September 10, 2025 to hide the suspected murder weapon in the woods near Utah Valley University.
He is accused of fatally shooting 31-year-old Kirk during a murder Turning point USA event at school that day.
CHARLIE KIRK’S FAMILY FACE THE ACCUSED MURDERER FOR THE FIRST TIME
Charlie Kirk was murdered on September 10th 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 home preliminary hearing This week they found it near a supposed sniper site overlooking the TPUSA event.
Both Twiggs and Robinson provided law enforcement with oral swabs that were used to create their full DNA profiles.
Robinson’s The preliminary hearing began Monday and is expected to last the whole week. Prosecutors must establish probable cause for the judge to give the go-ahead to trial on a range of charges, including aggravated murder, which carries a possible death penalty.
Tyler Robinson, accused of murdering Charlie Kirk, appears during a hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, on December 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 allegedly played surveillance video showing Robinson moving around the campus before and after the shooting, coming and going in his Dodge Challenger.
The day’s second witness, Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina of the State Bureau of Investigations, led the evidence response team that processed the scenes at UVU following the shooting.
Faumuina testified that her team recovered a screwdriver from the roof of the Losee Center on campus that Robinson allegedly fired at Shot that killed Kirk.
Charlie Kirk’s parents Robert W. Kirk and Kathryn Kirk arrive at the Fourth Judicial District Courthouse on July 6, 2026, to attend a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (REUTERS/Jim Urquhart)
She also testified that her team recovered the suspected murder weapon, a Mauser 98 repeating rifle, wrapped in a dark towel nearby. It had been retrofitted to fire .30-06 cartridges, which matched the caliber of the bullet fragments found in Kirk’s autopsy.
Faumuina testified that both the towel and the screwdriver had DNA that matched the same two men – Robinson and Twiggs.
In a handwritten note and text messages, Robinson is said to have confessed to the crime to Twiggs, who was living with him at the time and working with investigators. Twiggs has not been charged with any crime, and the alleged presence of his DNA in the evidence is likely to strengthen the case against Robinson.
Charlie Kirk assassination: Utah campus shooting timeline, Tyler Robinson indictment
Matt Robinson and Amber Robinson arrive at the Fourth Judicial District Courthouse on July 6, 2026, to attend a preliminary hearing for their son Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (REUTERS/Jim Urquhart)
Later on Tuesday, FBI Forensic analyst Amanda Bakker testified that Robinson was likely the primary donor in the mixed DNA samples found on both items. Twiggs is believed to be the minority contributor in both cases.
Prosecutor Ryan McBride raised several objections during Bakker’s lengthy questioning by defense attorney Michael Burt, arguing that the defense had gone well “beyond the scope of establishing probable cause.”
At one point, Judge Tony Graf Jr. asked how far he wanted to go with his questioning, to which Burt replied he had one more question before continuing.
CHARLIE KIRK’S PARENTS AND WIDOW WILL ATTEND TYLER ROBINSON’S PRE-INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK
A still image from a video shows Tyler Robinson, charged in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, attending a preliminary hearing presided over by District Judge Tony Graf at the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, USA, July 6, 2026. (Reuters TV/Pool via REUTERS.)
“I’m going to hold them to it,” McBride said, sparking laughter in the courtroom.
Since the DNA survey lasted most of the afternoon, Erika Kirk At one point she shook her head as she listened to Burt mock Bakker.
Observers in the gallery, including Erika Kirk, watched intently as Bakker explained a graphic showing certain DNA markers.
Kirk leaned forward and cocked his head as she listened to the statement.
Robinson also listened and fidgeted. A member of Robinson’s family yawned.
Kirk’s father occasionally took notes.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
If prosecutors prevail in establishing probable cause, which experts say is generally expected, he would be asked to do so.
“Unless the prosecutor somehow forgets how to get to the courthouse, there is no realistic chance that the state will fail to establish probable cause,” Randolph Rice, a Maryland attorney who represented Rachel Morin’s family, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
