By Six weeks after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the transgender lover of the accused shooter has disappeared, leaving behind an empty apartment and a swirl of speculation across this quiet desert community.
Lance Twiggs, 22, has not returned to the residence he shared with Tyler Robinson on the outskirts of St. George, according to The New York Post. Federal officials say Twiggs is cooperating in the ongoing investigation but has refused all media inquiries. Robinson, also 22, remains in custody in Salt Lake City, facing trial for the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University.
In a brief court appearance Monday, Robinson adopted a strategy reminiscent of another high-profile suspect, Luigi Mangione—asking to appear in civilian clothes rather than a jail uniform to avoid bias among jurors and to have his shackles removed. The judge granted the clothing request but denied the second, offering Robinson only a partial win. Mangione’s similar appeal had been rejected entirely, forcing him to appear in standard inmate attire. Robinson’s next hearing is set for Jan. 16, with an arraignment to follow two weeks later.
Twiggs and Robinson began living together after Twiggs was expelled from his conservative Mormon household in 2018. Authorities have referred to Twiggs using male pronouns. Venmo records show occasional money transfers from Twiggs’s parents in recent years—payments labeled “prescriptions” and “gas money.” The last came shortly before Kirk’s killing.
He was said to be cooperating with authorities.
Whether Twiggs has returned to his family home or left St. George altogether remains unknown. His Infiniti FX35 now sits parked in his parents’ driveway.
Neighbor Jesse Riley, who lives near the couple’s $1,800-a-month rental, said the property has been vacant since Robinson turned himself in. “It definitely is a shock it happened here. It’s a quiet neighborhood. You know your neighbor on your left or your right, but people are pretty isolated,” Riley said.
Accounts differ on why Twiggs was forced out of his home. One family member told reporters he “wasn’t being respectful and was problematic,” citing alleged drug use and excessive gaming. But others offer a far gentler view.
Braylon Nielsen, 19, whose family took Twiggs in after the eviction, recalled: “I loved Lance. His parents kicked him out of his house, and he lived with us. His parents never sat right with my family.” Nielsen described Twiggs as a “straight-A” student who “was very hardworking, not a big partier […] He just took care of people.”
Superintendent Ben Kaufman echoed that image: “Everything I’ve heard about him, he was a great kid. He was nice. He worked hard. I heard all good things.”
Investigators say Twiggs maintained contact with Robinson during the manhunt. Robinson sent a string of messages confessing to the attack and his attempts to hide the weapon, including one that read: “[Y]ou are all I worry about love.” Twiggs later provided those texts to law enforcement.
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder for the killing of Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and an outspoken Christian conservative. Prosecutors say his own digital trail—texts, messages, and posts—forms a nearly complete account of the crime.
Twiggs has not been charged and remains a cooperating witness. A family member suggested that Robinson’s mental state worsened during their relationship. “I think Tyler got a whole lot worse in the year [he and Robinson] have been dating,” the relative told The Post. “They are big gamers, and obviously they have that group that influences them, as well as others.”
For now, Twiggs’s disappearance adds a new layer of mystery to a case that has already shaken Utah.
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