During Wednesday’s hearing, the family of slain conservative Charlie Kirk pushed for greater transparency, urging the court to publicly release interviews in-full with the transgender romantic partner of Kirk’s accused killer.
Jeffrey Neiman, attorney for Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, asked Judge Tony Graf Jr. to allow the full audio of Lance Twiggs’ interviews to be played in open court rather than a heavily redacted version. Twiggs, who was granted “use immunity,” is cooperating with prosecutors and is expected to be an important witness in the case. Prosecutors say Robinson admitted to murdering Kirk in text messages to Twiggs after the shooting and left behind a handwritten note expressing his intent to kill Kirk before the attack.
LISTEN: The Trial of Tyler Robinson
“The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted in this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to see,” Neiman said to Judge Graf. “No redactions.”
“This court has tools at its disposal to make sure the defendant receives a fair trial,” he continued. “You’ll use them if you find that you need to.”
“To not be transparent here, to not be open, to not let the world see what happened, will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system, and that’s not what anybody wants,” Neiman added. “That’s not what any of us believe should happen here. And we’d ask the court to consider the position of the family in making its ultimate decision.”
Full Statement from Kirk Family Representative, Jeffrey Neiman, regarding transparency around the Lance Twiggs interview recording:
“The Kirk family believes strongly that if the evidence is being admitted in this preliminary hearing, it should be made public for the world to… https://t.co/OkbHz0HJLz pic.twitter.com/y5C03suSFh
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) July 8, 2026
Graf ultimately ruled that portions of Twiggs’ interviews would be redacted before being presented during the preliminary hearing, meaning the public will hear only portions of the interviews. The judge also said that he would personally review the complete, unredacted interviews when determining whether prosecutors have established probable cause to send Tyler Robinson to trial for Kirk’s murder.
Notably, the ruling currently applies only to the preliminary hearing and does not determine what evidence a jury may ultimately see or hear at trial. Twiggs could also testify in person at Robinson’s trial.
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, the weapon believed to have been used to murder Kirk was wrapped in a towel that contained DNA from Robinson and Twiggs, according to the FBI. A screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where Robinson allegedly fired also contained DNA from both males, the state said at the hearing. Robinson was living with Twiggs at the time of Kirk’s assassination.
DNA breakdown on towel and screwdriver where Lance Twiggs’ and Tyler Robinson’s DNA was found from Amanda Bakker, DNA analyst:
Towel: Twiggs 5% Robinson 95%
Screwdriver: Twiggs 11% Robinson 89%
— Lynden Blake (@LyndenBlake) July 7, 2026
Related: The Never-Before-Seen Tyler Robinson Footage Haunting His Defense