Charlie Kirk’s widow pardoned his killer in her speech at the late right-wing activist’s massive memorial service in Arizona on Sunday.
“That young man. I forgive him,” Erika Kirk said with tears in her eyes.
Authorities have identified the suspect in Kirk’s shooting as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Erika, 36, was appointed as the new CEO and chair of the board for Turning Point USA on Thursday.
Erika said Kirk had wanted to “save young men just like the one who took his life” and explained that she was forgiving his murderer “because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do.”
Robinson is accused of firing a single bullet during a Turning Point USA event at a Utah university on Sept. 10, fatally striking Kirk, 31, in the neck.
His alleged motives remain unknown, though the indictment against him included text messages he allegedly sent to his transitioning partner in which he said he’d had “enough of [Kirk’s] hatred.”
Invoking her Christian faith throughout her speech, Erika told the crowd, “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
She presented Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization founded by Kirk, as “a group that will point young people away from misery and sin.”
Recounting the day of Kirk’s murder, Erika recalled arriving at a Utah hospital and seeing “the wound that ended his life,” as well as “the faintest smile” on his lips.
“That told me something important,” she said. “It revealed to me a great mercy from God in this tragedy: When I saw that, it told me Charlie didn’t suffer. Even the doctor told me.”
Erika, who has two children with Kirk, said his murder ignited a religious “revival” rather than violence or rioting. She urged “all the men watching around the world” to “accept Charlie’s challenge” and “be the spiritual head of your home.”
After her speech, Erika shared a moment with Donald Trump on stage at the packed-out State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. She rested her head on the president’s shoulder as they embraced, drawing cheers from the crowd.
“He was a missionary with a noble spirit and a great, great purpose,” Trump said of Kirk during his own tribute. “He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry.”
