“Oh my God, no.” That’s what Lance Twiggs cried out when federal investigators confronted him with the claim that his partner, Tyler Robinson, had just shot down Charlie Kirk.

Sources told Axios that Twiggs, stunned and horrified, immediately agreed to cooperate. And that confession, raw, panicked, and four words long, set off a trail that led agents straight to Robinson.

But here’s the twist. The FBI didn’t want Twiggs’s name out there. They tried to keep his gender identity under wraps because, according to insiders, he had been “extremely cooperative” from the start.

The Messages That Changed Everything

Investigators looked through Discord chats from Robinson, who used the name “Tyler.” In those messages, he bragged about hiding a rifle in bushes near Utah Valley University. He said he wrapped it in a towel and even talked about changing clothes after the shooting. Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed these details during a press briefing, citing an affidavit.

Still, Discord later said in a public statement that there was “no evidence the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.”

Twiggs handed over the exchanges without hesitation. “Here are all the messages,” he told agents, according to reports. That move gave prosecutors enough evidence to hit Robinson with aggravated murder, Utah’s only death-penalty charge.

Public records show Twiggs and Robinson shared an address. A family member described Twiggs as the “black sheep” but disagreed on whether their relationship went beyond being roommates. Police sources, however, confirmed Twiggs is transitioning.

Now the motive is under a microscope. Authorities believe Robinson fixated on Charlie Kirk’s harsh stance against transgender rights. Governor Cox said a relative recalled Robinson fuming at a family dinner about Kirk spreading hate. Yet his family history muddies the picture. Robinson grew up Mormon, with relatives who openly back Trump and MAGA politics. His grandmother insisted: “Most of my family members are Republican. I don’t know any single one who’s a Democrat.”

At the debate where the shooting unfolded, Kirk had just been talking about transgender people and violence. Bullets found at the scene carried bizarre messages, including “If you read this, you are GAY Lmao.”

Now, the FBI is reviewing what one official called a “mountain of evidence.” Every chat, group, and connection is under review.