When the news broke about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025, the internet didn't just look for a motive. It looked for a face. While Tyler Robinson was the one behind the trigger at Utah Valley University, the public quickly turned its collective gaze toward a 22-year-old named Lance Twiggs.
Twiggs wasn't just some guy sharing rent. He was Tyler Robinson’s roommate and, as investigators soon revealed, his romantic partner.
📖 Related: Sawnee Electric Power Outage: What to Do When the Lights Actually Go Out
Honestly, the way this story rolled out felt like a fever dream. You had a quiet kid from a conservative family in St. George, Utah, living a double life that even his own parents didn't see coming. Then you have Twiggs—an aspiring professional gamer with a messy, complicated past—suddenly becoming the most important witness in a federal investigation.
Who Is Lance Twiggs?
Twiggs isn't a shadowy figure, though the media often painted him as one. He grew up in the same general area of southern Utah. By the time he was 22, he was living in a townhome at the Fossil Hills complex in St. George.
He was a person in transition. Family members confirmed to various news outlets that Twiggs was transitioning from male to female. This detail became a massive talking point for talking heads, but for Twiggs, it seemed to be just one part of a pretty difficult young adulthood. A relative told Fox News that Twiggs had been kicked out of his parents' house at 18. Why? It was a mix of things—substance abuse, a heavy addiction to video games, and family friction over his gender identity.
He stayed with his grandparents for a while. Eventually, he got on his feet, found a job, and started paying rent in that St. George townhome. He had other roommates before Robinson. When they moved out, Tyler Robinson moved in.
The Relationship Under the Keyboard
What really caught people off guard was the nature of their relationship. They weren't just "bros" living together to save on $1,800-a-month rent. They were a couple.
The most chilling part of the whole case involves a keyboard. Right after the shooting on September 10, Robinson sent a text to Twiggs that said, "drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard."
Twiggs found a note. It wasn't a grocery list. It said: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it."
The text exchange that followed, which the Utah County Attorney later read in court, shows a weirdly intimate but terrifying dynamic. Twiggs asked, "you weren't the one who did it right????" Robinson’s response was a blunt "I am, I’m sorry."
He even called Twiggs "my love" while explaining how he was hiding in the bushes in Orem, trying to get back to his rifle.
The Roommate Who Chose to Cooperate
There was a lot of speculation about whether Twiggs knew. Did he help plan it? Was he an accomplice?
So far, the answer from the FBI and the Utah Governor, Spencer Cox, has been a firm no. Twiggs has been described as "fully cooperative." He didn't just sit on those messages; he showed his Discord chats to the police. He allowed them to take photos of his screen. He was the one who helped investigators piece together the motive—Robinson’s belief that "some hate can’t be negotiated out."
It’s basically the only reason the FBI found the weapon so fast. Twiggs provided the info about the rifle being wrapped in a towel and left in a wooded area near the campus.
Where Is the Tyler Robinson Roommate Now?
Things got weird in late 2025. For a while, Twiggs was under FBI protection. There were threats, understandably. People were rattled.
Then, he sort of vanished. Neighbors noticed mail piling up at the St. George townhouse. The "safe space" the authorities mentioned seemed to have swallowed him up. By January 2026, reports surfaced that his FBI protection had officially ended.
Law enforcement experts say this is normal. Once you've given the testimony and the evidence is secured, the government usually stops the 24/7 security. Robinson is in custody, facing the death penalty, and Twiggs is no longer considered a "necessary" protective asset.
Realities vs. Rumors
There’s a lot of noise out there. You’ve probably seen the YouTube videos or the Reddit threads claiming the texts were faked or that the whole relationship was a "psyop."
If you look at the actual court filings and the statements from the Utah County Attorney, the facts are pretty grounded:
- Twiggs was the primary source of the confession. Without his phone, the case would have been much harder to prove.
- He wasn't charged. Despite the "sensational details," there hasn't been evidence presented that he knew about the shooting before it happened.
- The "gamer" angle is real. Both were active on Discord and played games like Helldivers 2, which Robinson apparently referenced when engraving messages on his bullets.
It's a heavy story. It shows how much can happen behind closed doors in a "normal" middle-class town.
If you're following the legal proceedings, the next big hurdle is the trial in Provo. You should keep an eye on whether Twiggs is called to testify in person. His testimony is the backbone of the prosecution's case, but his current whereabouts remain private for his own safety.
You can actually read the full transcripts of those text messages if you look at the public charging documents—it's a stark look at how a domestic life can turn into a national news headline in the span of a single afternoon.