Questions are swirling over whether text messages cited in the Charlie Kirk assassination case are authentic.
Commentators Candace Owens and Steve Bannon have both raised doubts about the messages prosecutors say were exchanged between suspect Tyler Robinson and his “trans” lover/roommate, Lance Twiggs, in the hours after the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10.
“Yeah, these messages are clearly doctored is what I would say. They’re doctored,” Owens said on her podcast September 16, arguing that the timeline of the texts did not align with official reports and calling for prosecutors to release the full exchanges with timestamps. “It is conspicuous that you are not telling us when this was sent… We need full answers.”
In another segment the following day, Owens examined a portion of the texts referencing suspects in custody. She argued that the phrasing “similar clothing” appeared inconsistent with what Utah officials disclosed at the time. “That language right there is actually a mistake from the feds,” she said, concluding, “I think again this is all made up these messages.”
Bannon echoed those suspicions on his podcast, telling his audience on September 16, “I’m not buying all of it. I’m particularly not buying those text messages. It just seems too stilted, too much like too much, like a script. Actually, a bad script.”
The text exchange prosecutors have submitted as evidence includes Robinson allegedly confessing to Twiggs, referencing his grandfather’s rifle, and instructing his partner to delete the messages. Robinson also allegedly told Twigg not to speak to the media or police.
AI detectors, often used online to evaluate writing, have also been cited in the debate.
GPTZero, ZeroGPT, Quillbot, and Undetectable AI all rated the transcript of the texts as “human” or “0% AI.” However, the reliability of such tools is questionable, as some have previously misclassified the Texas Declaration of Independence as AI-written, according to a report from The Dallas Express.
DX had two of the most prominent AI tools analyze the texts between Robinson and Twiggs. Both Grok and ChatGPT told DX that human males likely created the messages in their early 20s and were likely to be authentic, given the context.
The American mainstream corporate press has largely not directly engaged with questions about the text’s authenticity in long form, although Al Jazeera and The Times of India have both run stories that served as digests of readers’ concerns.
The text messages between Tyler Robinson and his roommate officials cite in court documents in Charlie Kirk case are authentic, sources confirmed to @CBSNews. The speculation that they were faked is false. https://t.co/UQtZzrq9BY
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) September 17, 2025
Prosecutors have maintained that the information listed in the criminal indictment is authentic, saying Robinson’s DNA was found on the trigger of the bolt-action rifle used in the killing. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Robinson also left a note saying he had “the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
Despite those claims, questions about the authenticity of the texts continue to dominate online debate, while major American outlets have largely avoided the controversy.
The entire indictment against Robinson and a summary of the evidence against him have been published by The Dallas Express.