CHARLIE Kirk’s widow has broken her silence on if she wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty against her husband’s killer.
Tyler Robinson is the man accused of assassinating the 31-year-old political activist at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Erika Kirk has spoken out about her grief following her husband’s assassination[/caption]
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before he was killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah[/caption]
Tyler Robinson, 22, is accused of murdering Kirk[/caption]
The 22-year-old suspected gunman was turned in by his own father two days after the horror shooting.
A wealth of evidence was quickly gathered against him and he made his first appearance in court earlier this week.
He was formally charged with aggravated murder and other felonies and prosecutors demanded the death penalty if he is found guilty.
Now, for the first time, Erika Kirk has spoken out about seeking justice for her husband’s murder.
The grief-stricken mom-of-two told The New York Times that she will not push for the move herself and that she cannot do so if she wants to see her husband in the future.
“I’ve had so many people ask, ‘Do you feel anger toward this man? Like, do you want to seek the death penalty?’” she said.
“I’ll be honest. I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this.
“I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger.
“Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: ‘Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”
In the days following her husband’s death, the new CEO and chair of Turning Point USA has been seeking solace in her faith.
“I’m a strong believer that this was God’s plan,” she said of his untimely death.
“And it’s so clear-cut. It couldn’t be more Charlie.”
She added that Kirk had implied before to numerous people that he could be killed by violence as part of his job and that she now wonders if he had accepted or even foreseen that fate.
Just hours before he left for Utah, she had begged him over dinner with a friend to wear a bulletproof vest after receiving more and more death threats.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Robinson is found guilty[/caption]
Charlie Kirk and his wife have two children together[/caption]
The friend suggested speaking behind bulletproof glass, but Charlie refused, Erika said.
As she navigates her grief with their two young children, she has been wearing her husband’s blood-stained St Michael necklace that was torn from his neck to try and save his life.
She also revealed she can’t bring herself to wash his used towels or even go into the bedroom they used to share.
“To this day, I can’t go into my bedroom. I’m rotating where I sleep,” she said.
She is due to speak at his memorial service at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Sunday along with President Donald Trump, VP JD Vance and a slew of other officials.
“No one will ever forget my husband’s name, and I will make sure of it,” she vowed in her first 15-minute speech to the world following her husband’s death.
Charlie Kirk’s rise to hero of the youth MAGA movement
CHARLIE Kirk transformed conservative youth activism from a marginal movement into a powerful force before his assassination on a college campus at 31.
Kirk was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality who rose to prominence as the co-founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
He launched the organization in 2012 when he was just 18 years old, with the goal of promoting conservative principles to high school and college students and became a significant figure in American politics by building a massive grassroots network, framing himself as a “culture warrior.”
The rise of Turning Point USA
Turning Point USA’s mission was to counter what Kirk and his allies saw as liberal dominance on American college campuses.
It quickly grew to prominence through his use of provocative activism and viral social media campaigns.
They created watchlists of professors pushing leftist propaganda and organized events to debate students on controversial topics.
The strategy helped them gain a significant following and financial backing from wealthy conservative donors.
Kirk’s ability to connect with a new generation of conservatives was one of his most notable impacts.
He cultivated a style of political engagement that was heavily reliant on social media, podcasts, and confrontational public appearances.
His organization’s events, such as the annual Student Action Summit, drew thousands of young attendees and featured prominent conservative speakers, creating a new kind of political ecosystem for young people who felt alienated from traditional conservative groups.
A key ally of Donald Trump
Kirk also became a staunch supporter and ally of President Donald Trump.
He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention and served as an aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign.
This relationship solidified his position within the Republican Party’s “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) wing, and his organization became an integral part of Trump’s political apparatus.
Through his popular podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” and his frequent appearances on conservative media, Kirk was a powerful voice in the pro-Trump movement.
He often framed political issues as a “spiritual battle” between good and evil and championed a pugnacious, populist form of conservatism.
His influence was so significant that after Trump’s 2024 victory, Kirk was credited with helping to mobilize younger voters for the campaign.
Influence on culture and social issues
Beyond traditional politics, Kirk’s influence extended deeply into social and cultural issues.
He was a vocal opponent of “woke” ideology, particularly in education and media.
He promoted traditional values, often encouraging young women to prioritize becoming homemakers and mothers over professional careers.
Kirk also openly criticized programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
He was also a major proponent of Christian nationalism, arguing that there is no true separation of church and state in the United States.
The Turning Point Empire
Kirk’s activism led to the expansion of the Turning Point brand into a larger political and media empire.
He launched Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group focused on voter mobilization, and Turning Point Faith, aimed at engaging evangelical Christian communities in conservative politics.
These affiliated organizations allowed him to broaden his reach and influence beyond college campuses, into a more mainstream political force.
