A judge has ruled that a redacted recording of a statement given by the former roommate of Tyler James Robinson, the man accused of murdering conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, can be played in court. The ruling came on the third day of a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is probable cause for the case to proceed to trial.
State district judge Tony Graf said the redaction, which amounts to roughly 16 minutes of the statement from Lance Twiggs, deals largely with text messages sent by Robinson. Defence attorneys had objected to the release of the full recording, arguing that remarks attributed to Robinson could taint the jury pool and violate his right to a fair trial.
Prosecutors pushed for transparency, with the state calling for the entire recording to be played. An attorney for Kirk’s family also urged the court to make all evidence public, saying that redactions would create doubt and distrust in the judicial system.
The hearing has also heard DNA evidence linking Robinson and Twiggs to a screwdriver and a towel wrapped around a rifle believed to have been used in the killing. Defence lawyers have challenged the reliability of the DNA testing, pointing to a 2004 report that found errors at the FBI laboratory where the analysis took place.
Video footage shown in court allegedly depicts Robinson entering the university campus and climbing onto a roof, from where prosecutors say he fired the fatal shot. The preliminary hearing is expected to conclude at the end of the week.
