One of the self-described “Etsy witches” named in a Jezebel article about commissioning curses targeting Charlie Kirk has issued a public statement after the conservative activist was shot and killed during a campus event in Utah, addressing the backlash and distancing the paid ritual from the crime while defending the reality of her spiritual practice. The practitioner, identified as “Priestess Lilin” and associated with a storefront called StrixSisters, said in remarks provided to Metro and reported by LADbible that “a person’s life and death always has weight, and we do not celebrate the loss of life,” adding that while she could not “claim literal responsibility for Mr Kirk’s death,” she and her collaborator “affirm that the magic we work with is effective,” language that immediately fueled debate over whether the earlier article had crossed ethical lines.
The statement surfaced two days after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while taking questions at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday. Law enforcement officials say the gunman fired a single round from an elevated position and fled. Investigators have since released still images and a short video showing a person of interest climbing down from a rooftop and moving away from campus, urged the public to submit unedited footage, and announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to an arrest. Authorities recovered what they believe is the murder weapon—a high-powered bolt-action rifle—along the suspect’s escape route and said forensic work is ongoing. No arrest has been announced, and officials have declined to discuss motive.
Jezebel published its piece on Monday under the headline “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.” The article—framed as a satirical exploration of the online marketplace for occult services—described buying a “Make Everyone Hate Him” spell and a “Powerful Hex Spell,” while explicitly saying the intent was not physical harm but petty misfortunes and reputational setbacks. “I want to make it clear, I’m not calling on dark forces to cause him harm,” the piece said, before listing hopes that Kirk would get “an inexplicable zit” or have his “podcast microphone… malfunction every time he hits record.” After the shooting, Jezebel appended an editor’s note at the top of the page stating, “Jezebel condemns the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms. We do not endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind,” and later removed the article text “out of an abundance of caution” while saying the outlet stood by the original framing as satire.
The Jezebel item quickly drew attention across the political spectrum, with critics calling its timing reckless and supporters describing it as gallows humor about an influential provocateur. Paste Media Group president Josh Jackson, whose company owns Jezebel, told Variety the piece was “a tongue-in-cheek exploration of people selling hexes on Etsy” intended as “a satirical response to Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric,” adding, “The writer was very clear that she didn’t want real harm to come to Kirk… What happened today is tragic… and we condemn this awful act of violence.” Jezebel’s editor’s note echoed that line, asserting the decision to pull the text—for now—was driven by safety and legal considerations in a “tense and volatile environment,” not a change in editorial judgment.