(NewsNation) — A family member of accused Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson‘s roommate is speaking out for the first time about the case.
Robinson is set to appear in court Friday in a pretrial hearing as he is being charged with murder in the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
One figure who has been a mystery is Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner.
For the first time, a family member of Twiggs’ spoke exclusively to NewsNation about the couple and events surrounding the shooting.
According to law enforcement, Twiggs was texting with Robinson right after the shooting, and there have been questions about his whereabouts and whether he has been under law enforcement protection.
NewsNation learned that Twiggs is no longer being protected by the FBI, has moved out of Utah and has gotten an attorney.
The family member who spoke to NewsNation did not want her name or face shown, but she says this has been extremely difficult for the family.
“I mean, both of them are supersmart. I mean, Lance was, he was a concert pianist, his talent for music was off the charts, it was very impressive,” she said. “What I’ve heard about Tyler is that he was just so smart, and so it’s just a shame that these kids had so much potential and such a bright future.”
She told NewsNation she thinks playing video games influenced Robinson.
“The world they were in, like, this gaming world, that was the normal way that they kind of spoke, the way they spoke wasn’t normal,” she said of text messages between the two men.
The family member told NewsNation she isn’t sure how much Twiggs will cooperate with investigators.
“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,” she said. “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. He handed over things when they asked for them, but he didn’t give up any information until he had to.”
She also told NewsNation she is sure that police have the right person in custody.
Robinson’s next court hearing is set for Friday, where the defense will be arguing to have the entire prosecution team taken off the case. They are arguing that because one of the prosecutors had a child who was at the event and witnessed it within 40 feet or so, there is a conflict of interest because the child is technically a victim.