Kirk was shot dead while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, sending shockwaves rippling across the political landscape. A prominent right-wing influencer, the 31-year-old’s death has been mourned by millions, including the likes of President Donald Trump.
Yet at the very center of the grief are Kirk’s widow and two children. It is they, after all, who were robbed of a husband and father when the political activist was shot in cold blood as he sat and answered questions on mass shootings in the US.
A no-expense-spared, flamboyant memorial service was held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona at the weekend. Attendance at the funeral was estimated to have been in excess of 100,000, with the likes of Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Elon Musk all there to pay their respects.
Yet it was without doubt Erika Kirk’s speech that was the most heartfelt element of the sorrowful occasion. The 36-year-old widow was reduced to tears as she addressed the swelling crowds for half an hour.
During that time, Erika, who has assumed her husband’s duties as CEO of Turning Point USA, said she had forgiven Charlie’s killer, while expressing that Charlie would want to be remembered for his faith.
Erika also touched upon the moment she saw her beloved husband after he had died, sharing that he had a faint smile upon his lips.
“His eyes were semi-open and he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile,” she said.
“Like he’d died happy. Like Jesus rescued him.”
“It revealed to me a great mercy from God in this tragedy,” she added.
“When I saw that, it told me Charlie didn’t suffer.
“Even the doctor told me – it was something so instant.”
Erika then went on to reveal a secret she had kept from her husband in life; one that reared its head as she spent time with his lifeless body following the fatal shooting.
“Even in death, I could see the man that I love,” she recalled.
“I saw the one, single grey hair on the side of his head, which I never told him about.
“Now he knows. Sorry, baby, I’m telling you now.”
On her forgiving Charlie’s alleged shooter – 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah – Erika said: “He (Charlie) wanted to save young men.
“Just like the one who took his life.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did. And what Charlie would do.”
