The late right-wing political commentator was fatally shot at Utah Valley University
Charlie Kirk's wife, Erika Kirk, has broken her silence after her husband's murder.
The late right-wing political commentator was fatally shot at Utah Valley University during a nationwide college tour hosted by his organization, Turning Point USA, on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Authorities believe the suspect, Tyler Robinson, fired from the roof of a student services building 200 yards away from the event, while Kirk was speaking.
Erika, 36, spoke out about the ordeal during a press conference on Friday, Sept. 12, when she thanked local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as Charlie's "dear friend," Vice President JD Vance, and his "phenomenal wife," Usha Vance, "for their love and support." She also thanked President Donald Trump for his support and friendship with her late husband.
"Charlie always said that when he was gone, he wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith," Erika said.
"Most of all, Charlie loved his children, and he loved me with all of his heart," she continued. "My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children."
"He told me, if he ever did run for office, that his top priority would be to revive the American family," Erika added, then revealing that Charlie's The American Comeback Tour will continue in the fall.
"I honestly have no idea what any of this means. I know that God does, but I don't," she then said. "All the evildoers responsible for my husband's assassination have no idea what they have done."
Erika also revealed how she handled telling the couple's 3-year-old daughter about Charlie's death. According to the mom of two, her young child recently asked her, "Where's Daddy?"
"What do you tell a three-year-old? She's three," Erika told viewers watching. "I said, 'Baby, daddy loves you so much. Don't you worry. He's on a work trip with Jesus, so he can afford your blueberry budget.' "
She concluded her message, "Thank you all again, who love my husband, who supported him, who wrote him an email every single day during his radio show, he read all of them, all of them. God bless you all. And God bless America."
Erika and Charlie met in 2018. Two years later, they got engaged in December 2020, and they then tied the knot in May 2021.
During their four-year marriage, the couple welcomed a daughter in August 2022, and then a son in May 2024. Charlie died weeks after he and his wife celebrated their daughter's 3rd birthday.
Matt Lamb, a former Turning Point USA official, told PEOPLE of Charlie after his death, "He loved his wife and loved his kids. You could just tell about the way he talked about them."
"Certainly, he has a more important legacy than Turning Point in his wife and his two kids," Lamb continued. "His legacy will live on through that."
Suspected shooter Robinson, 22, is being held on suspicion of three charges: aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors can seek the death penalty in cases where the defendant is charged with aggravated murder in Utah, if specific criteria are met. The probable cause affidavit filed in the Robinson case accuses the alleged gunman of "shooting Charlie Kirk in a circumstance that put many around him at grave risk of death."
Robinson is expected to be formally charged by prosecutors on Tuesday, Sept. 16 -- the same day he is due in court for his arraignment, during which he will enter a plea.
The alleged gunman could seek a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. However, if he is convicted and sentenced to death by a jury, he would be placed on death row ahead of his execution by lethal injection, or a firing squad if the necessary drugs aren't available.
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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said during a press conference on Sept. 12 that Robinson was identified after one of his relatives reached out to a family friend, who said the man had "confessed to them or implied" that he had committed the shooting. The family friend then contacted the authorities.
"I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson, who did the right thing in this case," Cox said.
Robinson also allegedly spoke about Kirk's visit to the university at a dinner with family members, according to Cox.
"They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had," the governor stated, adding that the suspect said "Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate."