Experts Warn: Critical Flaw in Charlie Kirk Murder Case Could Set Accused Killer Free
Legal experts are warning that a major weakness in the case against Tyler Robinson—the 22-year-old accused of murdering conservative leader Charlie Kirk—could jeopardize the entire prosecution. The issue centers on one thing: the timeline.
According to Utah defense attorney Skye Lazaro of the Salt Lake City firm Ray Quinney & Nebeker, the timeline inconsistencies could “definitely be bad for them,” referring to the prosecution’s case. Lazaro told Fox News that the defense will likely use every procedural tool available to delay proceedings and dissect the state’s evidence, a process that could extend the discovery phase for up to a year before any preliminary hearing begins.
A Movement Silenced
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed at approximately 12:20 p.m. on September 10 while addressing a crowd of nearly 3,000 at a Turning Point USA event held at Utah Valley University. The conservative organization—founded by Kirk—has been one of the most influential movements in modern politics, credited with energizing young Americans to embrace patriotism, capitalism, and constitutional values.
Evidence Raises Questions
Prosecutors allege that Robinson confessed to the murder in text messages sent to his roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs. Those texts were referenced in charging documents filed last week. However, the glaring issue is that none of the messages include timestamps, which could critically undermine their evidentiary weight in court.
Robinson was arrested 33 hours after the shooting in his southern Utah hometown. Investigators claim he returned to the crime scene prior to his arrest and that officers later recovered the suspected murder weapon there. Yet, law enforcement officials have not clearly defined when or how Robinson interacted with a police officer stationed nearby, further muddying the official timeline.
“If it doesn’t line up in a way that makes sense, it could definitely be bad for them,” Lazaro emphasized.
Body Cam and Cell Data at the Center
According to a law enforcement source, Robinson reportedly told a police officer he was trying to retrieve an item he left near a parking garage—close to where the rifle was eventually found. The officer, unaware of Robinson’s potential involvement, simply ran a routine license plate check and let him go. If that officer’s body camera wasn’t recording, Lazaro warned, the defense could use that lapse to attack the integrity of the investigation.
The defense may also zero in on the phone records behind those alleged text messages. Lazaro noted that cell-tower data could make or break the prosecution’s version of events. “A lot of times what you can get when you subpoena cellphone records are where messages were sent from,” she said.
If data confirms that Robinson sent the messages from Orem—the site of the shooting—and that Twiggs received them in St. George, it would bolster the state’s case. But any inconsistency could open the door to reasonable doubt.
A Battle of Timelines
Authorities say Twiggs is cooperating, but the defense is expected to contest every element of the state’s narrative. Lazaro explained, “The defense is going to want to get, going to wanna see, and probably spend a lot of time… to really piece together a timeline.”
She also cautioned against assuming early court filings represent the full story. “You have to keep in mind, when the government writes a probable cause affidavit, it’s their greatest hits that they have in the moment,” Lazaro said.
For now, the prosecution’s case appears fragile—built on digital breadcrumbs and a chain of events that may not fully align. And if the timeline collapses under scrutiny, Tyler Robinson could walk free.