Lance Twiggs: From gifted pianist in school to transgender partner of Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk murder

Lance Twiggs was seen as a gifted pianist at a magnet school for high achievers in St. George, Utah. As a teenager, Twiggs excelled at piano, performing Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1 in a 2020 recital, while his brother played Chopin. “He was a great kid. He was nice. He worked hard. I heard all good things,” recalled Ben Kaufman, superintendent of Twiggs’ high school, in comments to The Post.

Now, that image has given way to a far more complicated picture — from a once-promising musician to the mysterious transgender partner of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Magnet school for the gifted

Twiggs attended Dixie Success Academy — later renamed Utah Tech Success Academy — a selective program inside Utah Tech University. Students there took accelerated courses, often graduating with an associate’s degree worth of credits.

“The school attracts students that have been bored through school and want to excel,” Kaufman told The Post, adding that extracurricular activities were virtually nonexistent because of the intense workload.

Trouble at home

Twiggs’ upbringing in a strict Mormon household appears to have been a turning point. According to one relative, “[His father] thought he wasn’t being respectful and was problematic, so they kicked him out.” The relative also alleged Twiggs was “using drugs and alcohol, and was addicted to [online] gaming,” in comments to Fox News.

But friends dispute that account. Braylon Nielsen, 19, told The Post the real reason was Twiggs’ rejection of the Mormon faith.

“He had straight As. He was very hardworking,” Nielsen said. “Not a big partier […] He just took care of people.”

She added that after Twiggs became homeless, her family often took him in. “It was on and off. He was bouncing couches. He would live with us for a few months, but didn’t like taking up our couch. He would crash with friends,” she said.

A radical shift

Relatives described Twiggs as becoming “really detached” and politically extreme. One family member told Fox News: “He hates conservatives and Christians. He hated us. He was not raised that way, but he, over the years, has become really detached [and] been radicalized.”

Life with Tyler Robinson

Twiggs graduated in 2022, the same year Tyler Robinson — now charged in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk — finished at Pine View High, just four miles away.

Robinson briefly attended Utah State University but dropped out after one semester. He later enrolled in Dixie Technical College as an electrician apprentice and moved into the same apartment as Twiggs. A third roommate soon left, leaving the pair living together for more than a year.

It remains unclear when the relationship began, but Twiggs told friends he wanted them to meet his new “boyfriend” Robinson, according to The Post.

Ambitions

At the time of Robinson’s arrest on September 12, Twiggs had listed his occupation as “digital creator” on Facebook. He aspired to be a professional gamer, though his actual source of income is uncertain. One report suggested he worked as a plumber.

Despite family tensions, banking records reviewed by The Post show Twiggs’ parents continued sending him money for doctor visits, prescriptions, piano lessons, and even dog sitting.

Charlie Kirk assassination case

On September 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University. Robinson, 22, was arrested days later and charged on September 17 with aggravated murder and other crimes.

Court filings reviewed by The Post revealed Robinson confessed to Twiggs during a 33-hour manhunt in a series of text messages, which Twiggs later shared with police.

Robinson also expressed resentment toward his father’s support of President Donald Trump: “Since Trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard MAGA,” he wrote in messages to Twiggs.

Twiggs’ whereabouts

Authorities say Twiggs has not been charged and is cooperating with the investigation. His current whereabouts are unknown.