FBI expert stuns Tyler Robinson courtroom by revealing DNA bombshell that's a '95 percent match'

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:58, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 18:12, 8 July 2026 A DNA analyst with the FBI stunned the pre-trial hearings for Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson as she said investigators discovered a '95 percent DNA match' between the suspect and a towel wrapped around the murder weapon.  Prosecutors produced testimony on Tuesday evening from FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker and Utah State Bureau of Investigation sergeant Jennifer Faumuina over items seized from the scene of Kirk's assassination. Investigators say they found a rifle used to shoot Kirk wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the scene, as well as a screwdriver left on the roof of the building where the fatal shot was taken from.  In a lengthy grilling from prosecutors and Robinson's defense team, Bakker said the towel and screwdriver contained DNA from two sources - determined to be from Robinson and his transgender roommate and lover, Lance Twiggs.  She said 95 percent of the contributing DNA came from one source and 5 percent from someone else, and testing showed 'Robinson's DNA profile aligned better with the 95 percent contributor.'  In cross-examination from Robinson's attorneys, Bakker admitted that the source DNA was not definitive, but it did not exclude Robinson as a 'possible contributor.' Robinson's defense attorney Michael Burt attempted to cast doubt over the veracity of the DNA, declaring: 'She can't match Mr Robinson to the questioned samples.'  Bakker added that the FBI's analysis routinely avoids making an 'absolute identification' in DNA results, and said they are often presented as a degree of scientific certainty.  She said no other individual's DNA was identified as a possible contributor, beyond Robinson or Twiggs.  A DNA analyst with the FBI, Amanda Bakker (pictured), stunned the pre-trial hearings for Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson as she said investigators discovered a '95 percent DNA match' between the suspect and a towel wrapped around the murder weapon Tyler Robinson, 23, is accused of assassinating conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Utah on September 10, 2025  Prosecutors say they retrieved several pieces of crucial evidence from the scene near to where Kirk was shot, including a towel wrapped around the rifle used to fire the fatal shot and a screwdriver near the 'sniper perch'  Faumuina, who oversaw the physical evidence collected in the case, testified that investigators found a rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the UVU campus after the shooting.  On the roof of the campus's Losee Center, where Robinson is alleged to have fired the fatal shot at Kirk, she said investigators also found a screwdriver near a 'sniper's perch.'  Faumuina said the rifle was sent to the ATF for DNA testing and the towel and screwdriver were sent to the FBI.  She said while Twiggs' DNA was found to be definitive, the other set of DNA was found to be statistically extremely likely to be from Robinson compared to from another person. Prosecutors also insisted the line of questioning was beyond the scope of a pre-trial hearing, and said the result is not to prove Robinson's guilt, but only to decide if there is enough evidence to take him to trial.  The wrangling over the DNA evidence and counter-arguments from Robinson's team led to lengthy delays in the courtroom, with Utah District Judge Tony Graf pushing Wednesday's hearing back to a half-day for procedural reasons.  Prosecutors were expected on Tuesday to introduce a police interview Twiggs gave after Kirk's killing into evidence, but the move was pushed back after the court schedule ran out of time from discussing the DNA evidence. Twiggs is not expected to testify in person at the hearings, but prosecutors say they plan to introduce a slew of evidence related to the suspect's roommate, including video testimony and messages between the couple.  Robinson texted his transgender partner, Lance Twiggs, 'I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it', according to authorities  Investigators claimed to find the rifle (pictured) wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the shooting scene. Bullets engraved with political messages were also allegedly found in the gun, including one reading, 'Hey fascist! CATCH! Robinson's defense attorney Kathryn Nester (right) seen confronting Utah County Attorney's Office prosecutor David Sturgill in Tuesday's hearing  It comes after prosecutors submitted never-before-seen surveillance footage into evidence earlier in the hearings, allegedly showing Robinson prowling the UVU campus before Kirk was assassinated.  Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull testified that hours before Kirk was killed, Robinson visited the amphitheater where the influencer was preparing to speak. Hull said that Robinson interacted with several members of Kirk's group Turning Point USA at the scene before leaving. The agent also walked the court through the new surveillance footage, which showed Robinson arriving on campus about four hours before the shooting and returning several times, including when he allegedly went onto the roof to shoot Kirk, and again the night after Kirk was killed, Hull said. Robinson was seen walking with a limp in the security footage, and also visiting the campus at least four times in his Dodge Challenger car in the day before the shooting. A never-before-seen image allegedly showing Robinson on the UVU campus before the shooting Prosecutors say Robinson drove a grey Dodge Challenger for four hours to the UVU campus, and on Tuesday they presented never-before-seen footage of the vehicle stalking the area before Kirk's assassination At the week-long evidence hearings, prosecutors are also expected to cite previously released surveillance footage, showing a suspect climbing onto the roof of the Losee Center building before opening fire moments later The alleged assassin could also be seen climbing over a railing onto a rooftop before crouching down and running to a site overlooking where Kirk was speaking, Hull testified. After the shooting, Robinson could be seen running back across the roof, dropping to the ground and fleeing on foot, Hull said. The agent did not testify as to what Robinson said to the organization's members, but he added that Robinson bought food from a campus Chick-fil-A roughly two hours before Kirk was killed. Hull also noted that a police officer interacted with the suspect on campus the day after the shooting, amid the intense manhunt for Kirk's killer. He said Robinson returned to the UVU campus during the manhunt, but during his conversation with the police officer he set off alarm bells. Hull said the officer had 'cop intuition' about Robinson and wrote down his license plate number, which later helped investigators prove that the 23-year-old was on campus that day, he testified.  The testimony was followed by prosecutors introducing the DNA evidence.  Robinson has not yet entered a plea in the case.