Erika Kirk, widow of the recently slain conservative figure Charlie Kirk, has shared her poignant reflections on keeping his memory alive following his tragic and sudden death.
“Even now, I can’t bring myself to enter our bedroom,” Erika, 36, disclosed in an interview with The New York Times, published on September 21—her first public words since her husband was fatally shot on September 10.
“I’ve been alternating where I sleep,” she added, emphasizing her struggle with grief.
While she steers clear of their shared sanctuary, she holds onto a piece of Charlie by wearing a St. Michael pendant—a significant necklace that he was adorning when he suffered the fatal neck wound.
The medics had tragically removed the pendant in an attempt to save him, with The New York Times noting, “A trace of blood remained in the crevice of the cross.”
Charlie, known for his advocacy and founding of Turning Point USA, was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University from a distance of 200 yards. His life was cut short at the age of 31 after being rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later declared dead.
In her emotional interview, Erika relayed the experience of seeing her husband’s body in the hospital, despite a sheriff’s warnings regarding the severity of his injuries. “With all due respect,” she told the sheriff, “I need to see what they did to my husband.”
She later described the image of Charlie, recounting, “His eyes were half-open, with a serene, Mona Lisa-like smile. It was as if he passed away in peace, as if Jesus had embraced him. The bullet struck, he blinked, and he transitioned to heaven.”
Two days post-tragedy, a 22-year-old suspect surrendered to authorities after prompting from his family. Even amidst the outcry from numerous Republican leaders, including high-ranking officials such as the president and vice president, investigators have yet to uncover links between the suspected shooter and any radical far-left organizations.
“So far, it appears this was an isolated act by one individual who found Charlie’s beliefs personally offensive,” a source affiliated with the ongoing investigation shared with NBC News on September 21.
During a public memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Erika extended her forgiveness to the man accused of her husband’s murder. “I forgive him because that is what Christ would do,” she proclaimed to attendees. “The response to hate cannot be hate in return.”
