Prosecutors in Provo, Utah, told a judge Tuesday that DNA from Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old charged with fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was found as the majority contributor on both the towel wrapped around the suspected murder weapon and a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the shot was allegedly fired. DNA from Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, appeared as a minority contributor on both items.
The forensic testimony came on Day 2 of Robinson's preliminary hearing at Fourth District Court, where prosecutors are building the case that Robinson fired a single fatal shot from the Losee Center rooftop at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event. Charlie Kirk was 31 years old.
Robinson faces aggravated murder and additional charges that could carry the death penalty. He has not entered a plea. The hearing, which began Monday, is expected to run all week as the state works to establish probable cause for a trial.
David Hull of the Utah Department of Public Safety returned to the witness stand Tuesday morning. During his testimony, prosecutors played surveillance footage that allegedly tracked Robinson on the UVU campus before the shooting, at the time of the shooting, and again later that evening into the early hours of September 11. Hull confirmed Robinson visited the campus a total of four times that day. The video also allegedly showed Robinson arriving and departing in his Dodge Challenger.
Four visits to a campus on the same day a man is shot from a rooftop. That is the kind of detail prosecutors wanted in front of the judge early.
Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina of the State Bureau of Investigations followed Hull on the stand. Faumuina led the evidence response team that processed the UVU campus after the shooting. She testified that her team recovered a screwdriver from the Losee Center rooftop, the elevated position prosecutors say Robinson used as a firing perch overlooking the TPUSA event. The screwdriver's exact role in the crime remains unclear.
Faumuina also testified that investigators recovered the suspected murder weapon, a Mauser 98 bolt-action rifle retrofitted to fire.30-06 rounds, nearby in wooded area adjacent to the university. The rifle was wrapped in a dark-colored towel. Bullet fragments of.30-06 caliber, consistent with the rifle, were recovered during Kirk's autopsy, Fox News Digital reported.
Both the towel and the screwdriver carried DNA consistent with the same two males: Robinson and Twiggs.
FBI forensic analyst Amanda Bakker took the stand Tuesday afternoon and stayed there for an extended session. Bakker testified that Robinson is likely the majority donor in the mixed DNA samples found on both the towel and the screwdriver, with Twiggs believed to be the minority contributor on each item.
Both Robinson and Twiggs had provided buccal swabs to law enforcement, which investigators used to build full DNA profiles. Twiggs, described as Robinson's former lover and roommate, is cooperating with investigators and has not been charged with a crime. He was previously granted limited immunity ahead of the July hearing.
Defense attorney Michael Burt subjected Bakker to lengthy questioning, pressing her on DNA markers and the specifics of a graph she displayed in court. Prosecutor Ryan McBride objected multiple times, arguing the defense had gone well beyond the scope of determining probable cause.
At one point, Judge Tony Graf Jr. asked Burt how far he intended to go with his line of questioning. Burt said he had one more question before moving on. McBride's response, "I'll hold them to that", drew laughter in the courtroom.
The exchange was one of the few light moments in a hearing dominated by forensic detail and grim evidence. Former prosecutor Wendy Patrick, offering legal commentary on the proceedings, told Just The News that the defense appeared to be testing the waters early:
"The defense is testing the waters to see how much of what type of evidence the judge is going to admit, because that's going to inform their trial strategy."
The DNA evidence adds another layer to a prosecution that already includes surveillance footage, ballistic matching, and what investigators describe as Robinson's own written and texted admissions. Robinson allegedly confessed to the crime in a handwritten note and text messages sent to Twiggs. The AP reported that Robinson left a note stating, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I'm going to take it," and sent a text message to Twiggs reading, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."
Robinson turned himself in after his parents confronted him following the release of surveillance photos, with the help of a retired sheriff's deputy who was a family friend.
No formal motive has been established in court. But the text messages attributed to Robinson point to ideological hostility toward Kirk, the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA who had become one of the most visible figures in conservative media. Kirk was shot during an outdoor event on the UVU campus, an event open to students and the public.
The preliminary hearing is not a trial. Prosecutors need only show probable cause, a far lower bar than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. University of Utah law professor and former federal judge Paul Cassell told the AP the prosecution's position looks strong at this stage:
"This seems like the proverbial slam dunk at this stage of the case, where the only issue is whether there is a sound basis for moving forward with a trial on the merits."
Maryland attorney Randolph Rice, who represented the family of Rachel Morin, offered a similar assessment to Fox News Digital: "Barring the prosecutor somehow forgetting how to get to the courthouse, there's no realistic chance the state fails to establish probable cause."
Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, sat in the gallery throughout Tuesday's proceedings. At one point she shook her head while listening to Burt press Bakker on DNA methodology. She leaned forward and tilted her head during other stretches of testimony, intently watching as Bakker walked through the forensic graph. Earlier in the hearing, Erika Kirk left the courtroom as prosecutors played footage of the killing itself.
Charlie Kirk's parents, Robert W. Kirk and Kathryn Kirk, were also present. Robert Kirk occasionally took notes during testimony.
On the other side of the gallery, Tyler Robinson's parents, Matt Robinson and Amber Robinson, arrived at the courthouse as well. Robinson himself sat listening and fidgeting as the evidence mounted.
The death penalty remains on the table. A Utah judge previously held the prosecution in civil contempt over a procedural matter but declined to remove capital punishment as a sentencing option.
Several questions linger as the hearing continues. The screwdriver recovered from the rooftop has not been publicly tied to a specific function in the crime. The full list of charges beyond aggravated murder has not been enumerated in open court. And the precise nature of Twiggs's involvement, his DNA appeared on the towel and screwdriver, yet he has not been charged, remains unexplained beyond his status as a cooperating witness.
The hearing is expected to run through the rest of the week. If Judge Graf finds probable cause, the case moves to trial, where Robinson would face the full weight of a death-penalty prosecution. Some observers have noted Robinson's demeanor throughout the proceedings.
For now, the prosecution's strategy is clear: pile the physical evidence high and let the forensics do the talking. Surveillance footage placing Robinson on campus four times that day. A bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in the woods. DNA on the towel and the screwdriver. Bullet fragments matching the rifle pulled from a dead man's body. And a handwritten note that, if authenticated at trial, would let the defendant convict himself in his own words.
Charlie Kirk was shot in broad daylight at a public event on a college campus. The man accused of pulling the trigger sits in a courtroom while the evidence speaks. A country that cannot protect its public voices from political violence has a problem no courtroom can fully solve.