When the news broke about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in September 2025, the internet basically melted. People were scrambling for any detail they could find about the shooter, a 22-year-old from Utah named Tyler Robinson. One detail, though, kept popping up in headlines and social media threads, often twisted into something unrecognizable: did Tyler Robinson live with a transgender partner? It's one of those things that sounds like a tabloid rumor until you actually look at the FBI reports. The short answer? Yes. But the context of that relationship, and how it came to light during a massive federal manhunt, is way more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no."
The St. George Apartment and the FBI Raid
To understand what was actually going on, you've gotta look at the timeline. Right after the shooting at Utah Valley University, the FBI was working overtime. They traced Robinson back to St. George, Utah. That’s where he had been living in an apartment at the Fossil Hills complex. He wasn't living alone, though.
When agents moved in, they identified Robinson’s roommate as Lance Twiggs. Twiggs, who is 22, is a transgender woman (identifying as a male transitioning to female in some earlier reports, but largely recognized as a trans partner by investigators).
Honestly, the relationship wasn't just a "roommate" situation. FBI officials, including those briefing news outlets like Fox News and the Associated Press shortly after the arrest, confirmed that Robinson and Twiggs were in a romantic relationship. They shared a home, they shared their lives, and apparently, they shared a lot of digital space on Discord and through text messages.
Why this became such a huge deal
The reason this detail blew up wasn't just gossip. It was actually a central part of how the FBI caught Robinson.
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- Twiggs cooperated almost immediately.
- She showed investigators messages where Robinson made "jokes" about needing to retrieve a rifle from a drop point.
- The FBI used their private communications to triangulate Robinson's mindset and movements.
There was a lot of speculation that maybe the partner was involved, but the FBI has been pretty clear: Twiggs is a witness, not a suspect. She was described as "extremely cooperative" and apparently had no idea Robinson was actually going to go through with an assassination.
Clearing Up the Name Confusion
If you search for "Tyler Robinson," you’re going to find two very different people. This is where a lot of the confusion on the internet comes from.
There is the Tyler Robinson who passed away from cancer in 2013—the inspiration for the Tyler Robinson Foundation (TRF) and the band Imagine Dragons. That Tyler was a teenager who became a symbol of hope. He did not live with a transgender partner; he was a kid fighting for his life alongside his family.
The Tyler Robinson everyone is asking about now is the one involved in the 2025 Charlie Kirk case. This Tyler was an electrical apprentice at Dixie Technical College. He was a high-achieving student who had once received a prestigious scholarship to Utah State. It’s a completely different person, but because they share a name, the search results can be a total mess.
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What the Relationship Reveals About the Case
Some people tried to use the fact that Robinson lived with a transgender partner to claim he was part of some specific political group. Others used it to argue he was "living a double life" because his parents were reportedly conservative Republicans.
But if you look at the evidence gathered from their apartment, it’s less about a specific "agenda" and more about a person who was increasingly radicalized in private. Neighbors in the St. George complex described them as relatively quiet. They paid their $1,800-a-month rent. They lived a seemingly normal, suburban life until the day Robinson drove three and a half hours north to Orem with a rifle.
The Discord Connection
A lot of the "proof" of their living situation and relationship came from Discord. In the gaming community, Discord is everything. Twiggs was an aspiring professional gamer. Investigators found a "mountain of evidence" in their shared digital history. It wasn't just romantic stuff; it was where Robinson vented about political figures and where he dropped hints about the "anti-fascist" messages later found on his ammunition.
What’s Happening Now?
After the arrest, things got weird for Lance Twiggs. For a while, she stayed in the apartment, but then she reportedly vanished. Not "vanished" in a criminal way, but more like she went into hiding because the media attention was intense. People were literally leaving notes on the door and the mail was piling up.
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Authorities eventually clarified that she was in a "safe space." Given the political weight of the Charlie Kirk assassination, being the partner of the accused shooter is a dangerous place to be.
Key Takeaways from the Investigation
- Relationship Status: Confirmed romantic partners.
- Cooperation: The partner provided the "smoking gun" texts that helped the FBI.
- Current Status: No charges have been filed against the partner.
- Motive: Still being parsed through computers sent to Quantico, but seems tied to Robinson's personal political radicalization.
If you're trying to keep the facts straight, just remember that the "Tyler Robinson" in the headlines now is the 22-year-old from St. George. The transgender partner aspect isn't a conspiracy theory; it’s a documented part of the FBI's case file that helped them close the manhunt in 33 hours.
To stay truly informed on this, you should keep an eye on the official court filings from the District of Utah. That's where the actual transcripts of the text messages and the evidence from the apartment will eventually go public. Avoid the TikTok "theories" and stick to the briefings from the FBI and the Utah Governor’s office, as those are the only sources with access to the seized hardware from that St. George townhouse.