Charlie Kirk’s Widow Speaks Out On Husband’s Alleged Killer Facing Death Penalty

Erika Kirk, the grieving widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is opening up about the unimaginable loss of her husband and why she won’t personally weigh in on whether his accused killer should face the death penalty. The 36-year-old mother of two, who was just named the new CEO of Turning Point USA, spoke candidly in a new interview about the September 10 assassination that claimed her husband’s life during a speaking event in Orem, Utah.

Speaking for the first time since her emotional address just days after her husband’s murder, Erika revealed that people have repeatedly asked if she wants to see Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of gunning down her husband, sentenced to death. Her answer? She’s leaving it to the justice system.

“I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this,” Erika shared with The New York Times. “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?”

As The Blast reported, prosecutors formally charged Robinson with aggravated murder in connection with the September 10 shooting of Charlie and confirmed they will push for the death penalty. Officials allege Robinson deliberately targeted the conservative activist because of his political stance and outspoken views.

The aggravated murder charge is only the beginning. Robinson is also facing a stack of additional counts, including obstruction of justice for trying to hide the firearm and destroy the clothes he wore during the attack, felony discharge of a weapon, and committing a violent act in front of a child. Prosecutors further accuse him of witness tampering, claiming he instructed his roommate to erase text messages and keep quiet when questioned by police.

Officials say the combination of premeditation, political motive, and attempts to cover up the crime all factored into their decision to pursue the harshest possible penalty.

Not only did Erika address the possible death penalty sentence, but she also described the exact moment she found out Charlie had been shot.

She had planned to travel with him that day but chose to stay behind to be with her mother during medical treatment. Around 11:23 a.m., she got the devastating call from Charlie’s longtime assistant, Michael McCoy. “‘He’s been shot!’ Michael screamed. In that instant, I knew everything had changed,” she recalled.

Erika boarded one of Charlie's chartered planes, racing toward Utah. But as she soared over the clouds, she learned it was already too late. Her husband had been pronounced dead while she was still in the air. “I was looking at the clouds and the mountains. It was such a gorgeous day, and I thought: This is exactly what he last saw,” she said.

Once she arrived, Erika was met by a sheriff who warned her not to view Charlie’s body, explaining the bullet had caused catastrophic damage to his neck. But Erika refused to turn away. “‘With all due respect, I want to see what they did to my husband,’” she told him.

When she finally laid eyes on him, she was stunned by his peaceful expression. “His eyes were semi-open. And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile. Like he’d died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven,” she said, adding that she kissed him goodbye, something she didn’t do before he left the house that morning.

At this stage, it’s still unknown how Robinson plans to plead. He didn’t enter a plea during Tuesday’s virtual hearing and won’t be required to until a judge rules at a preliminary hearing that there’s enough evidence for the case to continue.

Robinson is due back in court on September 29. While he has yet to secure legal counsel, the court is expected to appoint him an attorney before the next hearing.