Judge Orders Redactions to Former Partner’s Video Testimony in Tyler Robinson Preliminary Hearing

PROVO, Utah — A video deposition from Lance Twiggs, the former romantic partner of Tyler Robinson, the man accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, is expected to be shown in court Thursday morning as the weeklong preliminary hearing moves toward its conclusion.

Prosecutors had planned to present the recording Wednesday, but repeated defense objections prompted Judge Tony Graf Jr. to order portions of the video redacted. The prosecution then opted to delay playback until morning, saying it wanted to make sure the edited version fully complied with the court’s instructions.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, exchanged several emotional embraces with her mother-in-law, Kathy Kirk, and appeared to wipe away tears as family attorney Jeff Neiman asked the court to allow the unedited video to be played for “all the world to see.”

From her seat in the gallery, Erika seemed to signal for Neiman to step to the podium, marking the first time the family’s attorney had addressed the court since proceedings began Monday.

Neiman argued that showing only a redacted version of the testimony could fuel “doubt and distrust in the judicial system.”

“The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted in this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to see no redactions,” he told the judge. “This court has tools at its disposal to make sure the defendant receives a fair trial. You’ll use them if you find that you need to.”

Graf, however, agreed to redactions of about 16 minutes of the roughly 37-minute video statement from Twiggs, as suggested by the defense, after Robinson attorney Richard Novak raised constitutional concerns about televising a “confession” before trial. 

The full video is expected to show Twiggs discussing texts, chat logs and a note that the defense said prosecutors and the public would consider a “confession” from Robinson. 

Novak said the defense does not characterize them as a confession. 

Robinson appeared visibly uneasy at times during the hearing, especially during mentions of Twiggs, his lover at the time of the shooting — taking deep breaths, fidgeting and adjusting his suit jacket. 

Some of the alleged texts between Robinson and Twiggs have been made public already, in which prosecutors claim the defendant mentions being “stuck in Orem,” where the shooting took place — and appears to take responsibility for being “the one who did it.”

Mention of the texts are expected to be redacted from the video played Thursday, but the judge said he will consider them when he makes his probable cause decision.  

Graf also said the preliminary hearing will end by 5 p.m. Friday, squelching speculation that the planned five-day hearing could run longer. 

At the end of the hearing, as everyone stood, Erika and Kathy Kirk shared a tearful hug.