Erika Kirk has publicly forgiven the man accused of killing her husband, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, telling mourners at a memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, that she was acting in line with her Christian faith and with what her husband would have wanted. “That young man … I forgive him,” she said from the stage inside State Farm Stadium on Sunday. “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.” The remarks drew a standing ovation from the tens of thousands who attended the service, the first large public commemoration since Kirk was fatally shot on 10 September during a campus event in Utah.
Speaking without visible notes, Kirk linked her decision to forgive to a theology of mercy that she said her husband had worked to model in encounters with disaffected young men. “My husband Charlie wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said, invoking the New Testament verse “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” She added that, while prosecutors have said they will pursue the death penalty, she would not personally call for it, saying she would “leave that to the government” and would honor her husband’s memory by rejecting vengeance.
The memorial filled State Farm Stadium, according to local and international outlets, and was attended by prominent figures in conservative politics. Former President Donald Trump addressed the crowd after Erika Kirk’s remarks, praising Charlie Kirk’s activism and influence; news reports noted the contrast between the widow’s language of forgiveness and a politically charged turn in Trump’s eulogy. The scale of the gathering—described by reporters as “tens of thousands” because attendance was not ticketed—underscored the national impact of the killing and the prominence of the youth-focused organization Charlie Kirk founded, Turning Point USA.
Authorities have charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder and other offenses in the shooting at Utah Valley University during a stop on Kirk’s “American Comeback” tour. The Utah County Attorney, Jeff Gray, has said he intends to seek the death penalty. Court filings and prosecutors’ statements described a series of messages that Robinson allegedly sent after the attack; the Associated Press reported that a note was found in which Robinson said he planned to kill Kirk, and that he later confessed in text messages. Robinson, who appeared by video for an initial hearing last week, is being held in jail without bail, according to charging documents summarized by CBS News.