Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin is in a romantic relationship with a transgender lover.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody on Friday concerning the murder that resulted in the death of a conservative activist, who was fatally shot in the neck at Utah Valley University.
Since his arrest, reports have swirled that Robinson was in a relationship with his roommate Lance Twiggs.
In a Sunday morning conversation with CNN’s Dana Bash, Cox revealed that Robinson’s roommate was his ‘romantic partner,’ which is now being considered as a potential motive in Kirk’s death.
“Yes, definitely. And yes, I can confirm that. I understand that it’s been reported and the FBI has verified this too, that the roommate was a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female,” the governor stated.
Just moments before Robinson fired from 200 yards away, Kirk had been responding to a liberal audience member who contended that transgender mass shooters are inaccurately portrayed in the media.
Utah Valley University student Hunter Kozak, 29, questioned Kirk, asking, “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the past ten years?”
Kirk quipped: ‘Too many’.
Cox said Twiggs has been ‘incredibly cooperative’ in the investigation and ‘had no idea that this was happening’.
Meanwhile, Robinson has not admitted to murder and is not cooperating with authorities, Cox told ABC News.
“He has not admitted to the authorities. He is not assisting, but everyone around him is cooperating. And I believe that’s very crucial,” he added.
Robinson was taken into custody after his family turned him into police when they learned of his alleged involvement in Kirk’s assassination.
In a a Sunday morning interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin is in a romantic relationship with a transgender partner
The suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22, was taken into custody Friday after his family turned him in. Since then, several reports have stated he is in a relationship with a transgender lover who is also his roommate
Cox said the alleged shooter’s relationship with his partner is currently being looked into as a possible motive. Kirk was known to share anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
He was also talking about transgender gun violence when he was shot dead.
‘That’s what we’re trying to figure out right now. I mean, again, it’s easy to draw conclusions from that. And so, we’ve got the shell casings, other forensic evidence that is coming in and [we’re] trying to piece all of those things together,’ Cox told Bash.
The bullets used in Kirk’s death had engravings of ‘transgender and antifascist ideology’ on them, officials said on Thursday.
Investigators are also looking into a note written by Robinson, Cox shared.
On Friday, Jud Hoffman, Vice President of Trust & Safety at the social and gaming platform Discord, said there were ‘communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere’.
Cox appeared to confirm this with Bash, but made it clear the note is still being reviewed.
‘Those are things that are still being processed for accuracy and verification and will be included in charging documents,’ the governor said.
Kirk, 31, pictured just before he was fatally shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday
Lance Twiggs, seen here, the roommate of Robinson, has been confirmed as his lover. Cox said Twiggs is transitioning from male to female
When the CNN reporter asked if a note was found and what it said, Cox declined to specify.
Authorities previously said that Robinson shared messages detailing the aftermath of the killing on Discord.
Investigators probing Kirk’s death said Robinson posted messages on Discord saying he needed to retrieve a rifle from a drop point.
The messages also reportedly described how Robinson wrapped a rifle he is alleged to have used in a towel and stashed it in a bush. Authorities said Robinson further detailed that he used a scope and changed outfits.
According to Cox, one of the bullets was engraved with ‘Notices bulge OwO, what’s this?’, a meme used to troll ‘furries’ and transgender people.
Furries are a community who adopt anthropomorphized animal personas, sometimes in a sexual context.
Cox said the alleged shooter’s relationship with his partner is currently being looked into as a possible motive (pictured: Kirk with his wife Erika)
OWO is intended to represent a wide-eyed face of surprise, with ‘notices bulge’ referring to the male appendage.
Another engraving said ‘Hey Fascists! Catch’, alongside an up arrow, a right arrow symbol and another three arrows pointing downwards.
The symbols could be a reference to the Iron Front, a paramilitary group set up in opposition to the Nazi Party during the Weimar Republic period in Germany.
Social media users have also pointed to a video game called Helldivers 2, a 2024 shooter game.
A code to call in an airstrike in the game requires the player to hit up, right, and then down three times.
Another was engraved with the words of prominent Italian anti-fascist song ‘Bella Ciao’, which is dedicated to the Italian resistance who fought against Nazism.
The final unfired casing was inscribed with: ‘If you read this you are gay LMAO’, Cox added. LMAO is an internet acronym for ‘laughing my ass off’.
Robinson is set to appear in court in Utah on Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice.
The accused killer could face execution by a firing squad if he is found guilty and prosecutors secure the death penalty against him.
President Donald Trump said he wants to see the killer get the death penalty for the assassination of Kirk, whom he described as the ‘finest person’.
Kirk’s funeral is set for September 21 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
