Candace Owens Says Kash Patel 'Lied' About DNA Evidence in Charlie Kirk Case

Conservative podcaster Candace Owens has accused FBI Director Kash Patel of lying about DNA evidence in the Charlie Kirk murder case. She says testimony from one of his bureau's own forensic examiners undercuts what he told the public days after the shooting.

"So I just want to make sure that you guys just know that Cash Patel lied," Owens said on Thursday's episode of Candace. It was her last show before maternity leave, and she recorded it with lawyer and podcaster Baron Coleman, who takes over hosting on November 2.

The charge is unusual coming from the right. Owens is a conservative commentator, and Patel is Donald Trump's FBI director. It is also her own reading of the record. No court has found that Patel misrepresented anything, and prosecutors say the evidence against Tyler Robinson, who is accused of killing Kirk, is strong.

What Kash Patel Said About the DNA

On September 15, 2025, five days after Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University, Patel went on Fox & Friends to announce a forensic link to Robinson.

"I can report today that the DNA hits from the towel that was wrapped around the firearm and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect in custody," Patel said, KUTV reported.

What the FBI Examiner Said Under Oath

Amanda Bakker is an FBI forensic examiner at the bureau's laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, and tested both items. She testified during Robinson's five-day preliminary hearing, which ended July 10. She said Robinson was a "possible contributor" to DNA on the towel and the screwdriver, and she told the court that Justice Department policy bars examiners from using language like "absolute identification," the Daily Herald reported.

Owens built her accusation on that gap. In her account of the testimony, Bakker described a September 13 call in which an FBI special agent and Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull asked whether Robinson could be excluded. She said investigators then told Bakker no further comparisons were needed.

"She specifically says in her testimony that she could have never told them that Tyler Robinson's DNA was on the towel or the screwdriver," Owens said. After playing Patel's Fox clip, she added: "Amanda Baker disputes that and she works for him."

Owens went further, saying Patel "literally lied and told her to stop testing or someone from his office told her to essentially stop testing." That is her characterization.

The Rifle DNA and 'Source Attribution'

Owens also pointed to Caitlin Oliver, an ATF forensic biologist who testified about DNA on the rifle. Under cross-examination, Oliver agreed that announcing that Robinson's DNA was "found" on an item would be a source attribution, meaning a claim that a specific person definitely left the DNA, and that such a claim would not be scientifically defensible.

"So it's a scientifically indefensible statement to say that Tyler Robinson's DNA was found on the gun," Owens said.

That testimony carries weight on both sides. Oliver found "evidentiary support" that Robinson was a possible contributor to DNA on the rifle's stock, grip and scope, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. On a sample from the rifle's trigger and trigger guard, her testing found it at least 1 trillion times more likely that the DNA came from Robinson as the largest contributor than from four unknown, unrelated people. The ATF does not report ratios above 1 trillion, St. George News reported.

Prosecutors Say the Case Is Strong

A preliminary hearing only asks whether there is probable cause to send a case to trial. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf found that there was. On September 1 he bound Robinson over on all seven counts, including aggravated murder, the Deseret News reported. Robinson has pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

"We know that the defendant is the shooter, again, first because of the video evidence, second because of the DNA, third because of his admissions, and fourth because of the circumstantial evidence ...," Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride told the court.

Owens disagrees. She said that if you watched the hearing, prosecutors "have literally nothing at the moment." Owens has been sharply critical of Turning Point USA, the group Kirk founded.

What Happens Next

The two sides are still far apart on when a jury will hear the DNA evidence. The Utah County Attorney's Office has proposed a 17-week trial starting January 31, 2028. Robinson's lawyers want a capital trial in the third quarter of 2029, the Deseret News reported.