Doubts raised over the evidence in the Tyler Robinson case
New testimony from the Charlie Kirk murder case is being used to challenge the official account of the killing, and it cuts against the political motive that Republicans seized on immediately.
- Tyler Robinson's roommate and boyfriend, Lance Twiggs, testified at the preliminary hearing that he had never heard Robinson talk about Charlie Kirk, and that the two did not really discuss gender identity or LGBTQ issues.
- That is hard to square with the claim that Robinson killed Kirk over his views on transgender people — a narrative pushed before any evidence came out.
- Twiggs was given immunity for his testimony, which raises the question of what he needed protection from.
- The confession text messages have not been verified, and the defense has not been able to get the phone data that would show where the messages actually came from.
- The widely repeated story that Robinson's father turned him in is disputed — the family drove him to the station after being told he would be arrested either way.
Outlook: Aggravated murder carries a very high burden of proof, and the unresolved questions about the messages and the immunity deal are likely to become the center of the defense case.