As prosecutors closed out a week-long preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, conservative commentator Candace Owens found herself under fire from fellow right-wing figures who accused her of working to aid Mr. Robinson’s defense.
Video testimony from Lance Twiggs, Mr. Robinson’s former roommate and romantic partner, was played in court Thursday after a judge ordered redactions to protect Mr. Robinson’s right to a fair trial. In the recording, Mr. Robinson allegedly told Mr. Twiggs “he wishes he hadn’t done it” the day after Mr. Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University in September. Prosecutors allege Mr. Robinson left Mr. Twiggs a note stating he had “the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk,” and that he separately texted Mr. Twiggs that he targeted Kirk because he had grown tired of his rhetoric.
Judge Tony Graf ordered roughly 16 minutes of the 37-minute Twiggs interview redacted before it was shown publicly, after Mr. Robinson’s attorney raised concerns that broadcasting it would amount to airing a “confession” before trial. Mr. Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the Sept. 10 shooting.
Ms. Owens, a former Daily Wire host who now runs her own show, has repeatedly questioned the case against Mr. Robinson in recent months, at one point calling him a “total patsy” and claiming he was not even on the Utah Valley University campus the day Kirk was killed. That specific claim was contradicted this week when prosecutors presented security footage showing a man authorities identified as Mr. Robinson on campus four times on the day of the shooting.
Turning Point USA producer Blake Neff pushed back on Ms. Owens directly, asking rhetorically whether anyone has wanted something as badly as she wants Kirk’s accused killer to go free. Manhattan Institute fellow Colin Wright separately dismissed one of Ms. Owens’ claims — that a man in courtroom video appeared too tall to be Mr. Robinson — as based on nothing more than “vibes” rather than a reliable method.
The criticism boiled over into an online feud Thursday among several prominent conservative commentators. Activist Laura Loomer alleged on X that Ms. Owens “has been hinting for months that she is willing to help” Mr. Robinson’s defense, and accused her of aligning with the political left in hopes Mr. Robinson would be acquitted. Ben Shapiro, another conservative commentator, told Ms. Owens on social media that she has spent ten months “slandering” Kirk’s widow, his friends and his colleagues and accused her of profiting from the controversy. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet accused Ms. Owens of hijacking Kirk’s legacy for her own attention.
Ms. Owens has not limited her commentary to broad theories about the case. On March 31, a tabloid report claimed a court filing showed the bullet that killed Kirk did not match Mr. Robinson’s rifle. Citing that report, Ms. Owens called for Mr. Robinson’s acquittal on her podcast the same day. The Washington Examiner noted, however, that prosecutors have presented other evidence against Mr. Robinson independent of that finding, including surveillance footage, the rifle recovered near the scene, text messages in which he described his motive, and testimony from his parents and Mr. Twiggs.
Mr. Robinson’s attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence in the case but have unsuccessfully sought to take the death penalty off the table. Judge Graf is expected to rule at the conclusion of the hearing whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence to send Mr. Robinson to trial.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
