Alleged Charlie Kirk shooter’s transgender partner: background of Lance Twiggs as investigation unfolds

A 22-year-old Utah man, Lance Twiggs, the transgender live-in partner of Tyler Robinson, remains cooperative with police as authorities investigate the Sept. 10 shooting that killed conservative campus activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and other counts, while Twiggs has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, according to police and multiple news accounts.

Twiggs grew up in St. George, Utah, and attended the high-school magnet program Dixie Success Academy, which later was renamed Utah Tech Success Academy. School officials described him as a hardworking student who excelled academically and in piano, recalling a 2020 recital in which he performed Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1 alongside his brother. After graduation in 2022, Twiggs pursued an accelerated track inside the university system, earning college credits toward an associates’ degree. His teachers and family described a bright student who later became enveloped by an online life centered on gaming and fantasy worlds.

The turning point in Twiggs’ story, according to relatives and interviews reviewed by The Post, appears to be a falling-out with his strict Mormon family during his junior year of high school. A relative told Fox News that Twiggs was kicked out for being disrespectful, a claim the family disputes. After leaving home, Twiggs lived with grandparents and later moved into a three-bedroom townhouse in the Fossil Hills complex, owned by his parents. Family members described Twiggs as detached, increasingly online-driven, and at times detached from reality, with some relatives suggesting he became radicalized and drawn to online gaming as a substitute for real-world connection. The Post has reported that Twiggs’ mother wrote a now-deleted Facebook post in 2020 praising his musical progress and character.

As Twiggs’ life shifted, Tyler Robinson, also 22, moved from Pine View High School to his own path in the St. George area and eventually moved into Twiggs’ family home. After high school, Robinson attended Utah State University to study computer science but left after one semester and enrolled in Dixie Technical College as an electrician apprentice, later joining Twiggs in the same townhouse. Robinson was described by his parents as having a grudge against his father’s political views, particularly his MAGA support, and investigators say he later turned in by his father to authorities in connection with the case. The two men shared a passion for online gaming and a crowded roster of digital identities, with Twiggs maintaining a profile as a “digital creator” and Robinson living with Twiggs’ family for more than a year before the shooting.

Accounts reviewed by The Post portray Twiggs as a well-behaved student with a strong work ethic in high school, but later accounts describe him as someone who slipped into an online fantasy life and experimented with drugs and alcohol. A former classmate, Braylon Nielsen, said Twiggs had straight A’s and was not a partygoer; she described him as someone who took care of people and who was once considered a reliable presence in the community before the family disputes and housing changes. Nielsen’s family hosted Twiggs for periods after he left home, a detail that underscores the sense of instability that surrounded his teenage years. Other online material associated with Twiggs depicts a young man who engaged with online communities that discuss transgender topics and drug use, and who sometimes posted in ways that mocked or criticized others, though it remains unclear how much of that material reflects his day-to-day life in 2023 and 2024. The Post highlighted that Twiggs’ digital footprint also included posts about bulimia and other personal struggles, as well as a fascination with furry culture.

The man believed to be Twiggs’ roommate, who moved in with the couple, appears in several photographs and social media posts that The Post reviewed. He is described as leaving the residence when tensions grew or when he was no longer welcome, contributing to a pattern of instability that family members say characterized Twiggs in recent years. The same reports note Twiggs’ parents—a husband-and-wife team who own several rental properties—continued to send him money for necessities such as doctor visits, piano lessons, and dog care, suggesting ongoing financial ties even as the family’s relationship with Twiggs deteriorated.

On Sept. 10, Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative campus speaker and podcaster, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University as he addressed a crowd of thousands. Investigators described a 33-hour manhunt during which Twiggs’ partner, Robinson, is alleged to have confessed to a witness and then shared messages with Twiggs as the case unfolded. Authorities say Twiggs has cooperated with law enforcement but has not been charged with any crime in connection with the shooting. He remains at large, and neighbors report mail piling up at the townhouse shared by the two men. The investigation continues as authorities seek to determine the full extent of the relationship and any potential motive behind the attack.

Public records and statements from relatives emphasize a complex and sometimes contradictory portrait of Twiggs—one that includes a gifted student who later retreated into online spaces, and a family saga that included departure from a strict religious household. Investigators have not released a definitive motive, and there is no public indication that Twiggs played a direct role in the shooting beyond being in the same household as Robinson in the period leading up to the crime. The case remains under active investigation, with prosecutors weighing charges against Robinson and law enforcement pursuing unclear leads about the couple’s online activity and personal dynamics.

As the investigation continues, authorities say Twiggs remains cooperative with police. No charges have been filed against him, and his current whereabouts are not publicly disclosed. The addresses involved and the status of other potential witnesses form part of the ongoing inquiry as investigators seek to reconstruct the couple’s living arrangements and digital footprints in the months before the attack. The case has drawn national attention to questions about online communities, radicalization, and the dynamics of intimate relationships in the context of high-profile political conflicts. Authorities have not provided a formal motive, and the investigation continues to scrutinize all facets of the suspects’ backgrounds and interactions before the shooting.