Tyler Robinson's transgender partner was under FBI protection after apparently disappearing from his Utah hometown for several months, according to a family member and other sources. In the family's first public comments since Robinson was arrested in connection with the Sept. 10 killing of Charlie Kirk, the relative also questioned how cooperative Lance Twiggs is with the police.
The comments came alongside a striking claim from the family member, who said the two young partners—both 22—were once bright, high-achieving students, but gradually lost focus, becoming consumed by video games and ideas reinforced in an online Discord chatroom. Robinson is meanwhile being held in custody and facing murder charges.
Secret Location Revealed
"Being as antisocial as they were, from my understanding – you know, playing these games and being part of this, this Discord group ... they didn't seem like they were in a real world," the unnamed relative said during an interview with NewsNation's Brian Entin Thursday.
She said their warped view of reality was already clear in the text messages that have since been made public—messages the pair exchanged right after Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University, in which Thompson allegedly admitted to carrying out the hate-driven attack.
"The world that they were in, like this gaming world, like that was a normal way that they kind of spoke," she explained.
However, that wasn't always the case. "Both of them are super smart...[Lance] was a concert pianist – he has talent for piano. [His] music was off the charts – not normal, it was very impressive.
"And that's kind of what I heard about Tyler is that he was just so smart.
"It's just a shame that these kids had so much potential and so, such a bright future."
Complete Police Protection
Authorities stepped in to protect Twiggs and his family as they moved between locations for a period of time, but according to the relative, he is now back with his family. "My understanding was for the first few weeks, cause there was so many threats against his family and him, that...they did have a little bit of FBI detail and they kind of moved around a little bit, but they're not anymore. He's with his family," she said.
At the time, Twiggs appeared to vanish from his hometown of St. George, Utah, where he had been living with Thompson in a townhouse that rented for about $1,800 a month.
A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Twiggs is no longer under FBI protection and is cooperating with investigators. A family member, however, questioned just how fully he is doing so.
"When I first found out about how he was taken in and talked to by the police...I know that they said that he was very cooperative but they had to go get him and bring him in – he didn't voluntarily go in and say, 'Hey, I heard about this and I have some knowledge,'" she said.
"You know, he had to go in and then he handed things over when they asked for them, but he didn't give up any information until he had to."
But one thing she said she has no doubt about is Robinson's guilt. "100% they have the right guy," she said.
Robinson remains in jail while awaiting trial. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death by firing squad—an execution method Utah still permits, making it one of only five states where the practice remains legal.
