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Erika Kirk fought back tears as she came face-to-face with the man accused of murdering her husband for the first time during a court hearing in Utah.
On Monday (July 6), the 37-year-old widow arrived at the Provo courthouse for the preliminary hearing of 23-year-old Tyler Robinson.
A video from outside the courthouse showed the grieving mom-of-two entering the building shortly before proceedings began.
Inside the courtroom, Erika sat beside the parents of the late Turning Point USA founder, Robert and Kathryn.
According to reports, she struggled to hold back tears throughout the hearing.
As prosecutors began describing the events surrounding Kirk's death, she broke down crying before leaving the courtroom while a police officer recounted how her husband was fatally shot.
She was also seen wiping away tears with a handkerchief and at one point leaning on Kathryn's shoulder as prosecutors prepared to lay out their case.
Donald Trump Jr. also attended the hearing, and per The Associated Press, Robinson’s parents were seated a few rows behind the Kirks.
The multi-day preliminary hearing will determine whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence for Robinson to stand trial over the fatal shooting of Kirk, who was 31 when he was killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
Robinson has not yet entered a plea. If Judge Tony Graf finds probable cause, he could enter a plea during an arraignment that may take place the same day before the case proceeds to trial.
He faces seven criminal charges, including aggravated murder, and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
The court is expected to hear extensive evidence during the hearing, including three graphic exhibits from the fatal shooting.
Prosecutors are also expected to present footage they allege shows the suspect at the university before and after the conservative activist was shot, along with DNA evidence from the rifle police say was used in the killing, a recorded statement from Robinson's roommate, and a handwritten note reading: "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I took it."
It has also been alleged that Robinson confessed to the shooting in messages exchanged with his partner, Lance Twiggs. Those messages are expected to be introduced during the hearing.
Furthermore, defense attorneys are expected to point to ballistics testing that proved inconclusive in matching a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk's body to the alleged murder weapon.
Ahead of the hearing, Charlie's family released a joint statement in his memory, which read: "Charlie was a beloved husband, son, brother, friend, and father."
"Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children."
"We remain deeply grateful for the support, prayers, and kindness we have received. This outpouring has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives. Out of respect for the judicial process, we will not be commenting further at this time," they added.
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In the wake of her husband Charlie Kirk’s shocking death, Erika Kirk has sent a strongly-worded, faith-fueled message to the man accused of pulling the trigger.
Erika, 37, widow of the conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, opened up in an emotional interview with Megyn Kelly about life after tragedy, revealing how she’s found strength through forgiveness, motherhood, and faith.
Now leading the movement Charlie built, Erika says she refuses to let hatred win.
Despite the grief and outrage surrounding her husband’s violent death, Erika is standing firm in her convictions. When asked by Kelly what she would say to Robinson or his family, she didn’t flinch.
“It wouldn't be sympathy. It wouldn't be anger… Anything I could ever wish upon him or his family would pale in comparison to the justice of God. So I look at them and think, 'I'm so glad I'm not you.'”
It’s a declaration that underscores Erika’s unwavering belief in divine justice.
“The enemy would love for me to be angry,” she told Kelly. “He would love it.”
But she’s choosing a different path—one focused on raising her daughter, leading Turning Point, and preserving Charlie’s vision.
Erika Kirk has spoken out. Credit: Pool / Getty
Erika also revealed personal hopes for expanding their family had been dashed, saying she had been praying to be pregnant after Charlie’s death, only to find out she was not.
“We wanted four,” she said of their plans for children, adding that having another baby would have been “the ultimate blessing out of this catastrophe”.
At Charlie’s memorial in September, Erika told mourners she had already forgiven Robinson.
“Because it’s what Christ did,” she said. “The answer to hate is not hate.”
Her words moved Kelly to call the moment “extraordinary”.
Erika also recalled a touching exchange with Vice President JD Vance during a Turning Point event honoring her late husband.
Onstage, he embraced her and said, “I'm so proud of you.” She replied: “God bless you,” adding, “Anyone I have hugged, I always say, ‘God bless you.’”
While Erika continues to preach forgiveness, court developments surrounding her husband’s accused killer are testing the patience of Charlie’s supporters.
Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared in court Thursday wearing a blue shirt and tie instead of his jail-issued jumpsuit - an appearance that quickly sparked a backlash.
Cameras caught him smirking, whispering with his legal team, and seemingly relaxed, even as the charges against him could carry the death penalty by firing squad under Utah law.
Just feet away, Robinson’s family filled the courtroom gallery.
Tyler Robinson in his first in-person court appearance Thursday. Credit: Pool / Getty
Judge Tony Graf ordered the room cleared for a closed portion of the hearing, prompting Robinson’s legal team to beg for his family to stay. When the judge refused, Robinson’s mother was seen sobbing in the hallway, according to Reuters.
Judge Graf cited the “extraordinary” public attention on the case as he restricted media access, banning close-ups of Robinson’s shackles and forcing camera crews to the back of the courtroom.
The move followed complaints from the defense that earlier footage had captured private moments and unflattering angles.
Robinson’s team and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office both backed the restrictions, citing concerns about jury impartiality and security.
But Erika Kirk isn’t having it - she’s pushing for full transparency, arguing that the public has a right to witness the trial of the man accused of killing her husband at a university event.
Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, has opened up about why she forgives her husband's alleged killer.
The 31-year-old was fatally shot in the neck on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during the launch of his “American Comeback” campus tour.
Prosecutors say Tyler Robinson, 22, carried out the killing, and he now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated murder - a charge that could carry the death penalty.
Additional charges include felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice for allegedly disposing of a rifle and clothing, two counts of witness tampering related to his roommate, and committing a violent offense in front of a child.
On Sunday (September 21), a memorial for the late Turning Point USA founder was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
At the service, Kirk’s widow Erika delivered an emotional address to the crowd, declaring that she forgives her husband’s alleged killer.
“My husband, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said, per The Guardian. “That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do.”
Taking on her late husband’s role as head of Turning Point USA, Erika promised to carry on his work.
“The answer to hate is not hate,” she told the crowd. “The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love - love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
The memorial featured appearances from top Trump administration officials, MAGA allies, and members of Congress.
Vice President JD Vance described Kirk as “a martyr for the Christian faith,” saying: “For Charlie, we will remember that it is better to stand on our feet defending the United States of America, and defending the truth, than it is to die on our knees."
"My friends, for Charlie, we must remember that he is a hero to the United States of America," he shared.
Meanwhile, Stephen Miller warned political opponents that “you have no idea the dragon you have awakened.”
“And to those trying to incite violence against us, those trying to foment hatred against us, what do you have? You have nothing. You are nothing. You are wickedness. You are jealousy, you are envy, you are hatred," he added.
President Donald Trump, who followed Erika’s speech, struck a very different tone, telling the crowd that Kirk "did not hate his opponents" and instead, "he wanted the best for them".
“That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them. I’m sorry. I am sorry, Erika," he shared.
The 79-year-old then went on to tout an upcoming White House announcement, saying: “I think we found an answer to autism. How about that: autism?”
Though the president and some allies have blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s assassination, three officials familiar with the investigation told NBC News that federal authorities have so far found no evidence tying Robinson to left-wing groups.
One source said: “Every indication so far is that this was one guy who did one really bad thing because he found Kirk’s ideology personally offensive.”
Erika Kirk, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, expressed her faith in divine justice while reflecting on her husband’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, during an emotional interview with Megyn Kelly.
Speaking to a sold-out crowd in Glendale, Arizona, Erika, 37, fought back tears as she explained how she resists letting anger take over.
Erika also shared personal details about her life following Charlie’s death at Utah Valley University on September 10. She revealed that she had been praying she was pregnant but confirmed she was not.
When Kelly asked how many children they had hoped to have, Erika replied: "We wanted four." She described the thought of having a child as "the ultimate blessing out of this catastrophe."
When asked by Kelly what she would say to Robinson or his family, Erika paused before replying: "It wouldn't be sympathy. It wouldn't be anger… Anything I could ever wish upon him or his family would pale in comparison to the justice of God. So I look at them and think, 'I'm so glad I'm not you.'"
Erika and Charlie Kirk with their daughter. Credit: @mrserikakirk / Instagram.
"The enemy would love for me to be angry," she said. "He would love it."
She added that harboring ill will would distract her from honoring Charlie’s legacy: raising their children, leading Turning Point, and supporting the team he built.
The interview also touched on a moment of comfort Erika received from Vice President JD Vance at a Turning Point event honoring Charlie. Erika recounted an intimate hug onstage, saying: "He says, 'I'm so proud of you.' I say, 'God bless you,' and touch the back of his head. Anyone I have hugged, I always say, 'God bless you.'"
Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA and transformed it into one of the most prominent youth organizations in the U.S., was killed at age 31.
Erika, a former Miss Universe contestant, now leads the organization and emphasized her commitment to forgiveness. At Charlie’s memorial in September, she said she forgave Robinson "because it’s what Christ did," noting: "The answer to hate is not hate."
Kelly called Erika’s remarks "an extraordinary moment," highlighting the widow’s resilience and dedication to her husband’s vision even amid profound grief.
Erika Kirk has opened up about the heartbreaking warning she gave her husband the night before he was killed.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
The murder has sent shockwaves across the nation, with his wife now sharing details about their last moments before the tragedy.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Erika described how she and her late husband spent the evening before his campus tour with a close friend who was a faith leader.
They gathered for dinner in Phoenix, where they all prayed together.
For months, the Turning Point USA founder had been receiving death threats, which had led him to travel with a security team.
But Erika’s worries reached a new level that evening, and she expressed her concern directly, asking Kirk to start wearing a bulletproof vest.
She also added that their friend also suggested that he speak behind bulletproof glass at events.
Despite the growing threats, the right-wing influencer showed reluctance to follow these precautions, replying, “Not yet.”
He believed in the safety of his team and the additional security measures in place for his tour.
Erika admitted she had begun to wonder if Kirk had “surrendered to the prospect” that his life could be cut short due to the dangerous nature of his work.
She noted that he had previously discussed the possibility of violence affecting him, a grim reality he had accepted.
What makes the situation even more chilling is that the mom-of-two was originally scheduled to be with Kirk at the Utah event, but had to change her plans.
Her mother was scheduled for medical treatment in Phoenix the same day.
She recalled her husband telling her, “Home needs you,” before they planned for her to join him at the next stop on the tour in Colorado.
Following his death, Erika has been vocal about her grief and how she is coping with the loss of her husband.
She recently posted an emotional tribute on Instagram, sharing what she described as one of the “last photos” taken of Kirk.
In the image, he is wearing a white “Freedom” shirt, raising one arm while holding a stack of red-and-white caps he was handing out to event attendees.
“You loved witnessing excellence. It’s why you loved sports so much. You loved watching the best of the best perform at the level of greatness God intended for them," she penned in the post.
"This is one of the last photos taken of you before you were murdered.
"I look at it and can’t help but see excellence.
"You’re in your element. You’re in athlete mode. Training for this exact moment, mind, body, and soul.”
She continued, “To me, this is your ‘Jordan’ photo. Permanently etched in time, held in my heart, as I admire your greatness.
"Forever. I pray you’ve had the most amazing week in Heaven @charliekirk1776 I love you.”
Charlie Kirk’s funeral service, held on September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was attended by more than 60,000 people.
The memorial blurred the lines between a political rally and a religious service, with attendees wearing red, white, and blue MAGA hats, and “Freedom” shirts like the one Charlie had worn in his final moments.
Erika, standing out in a white suit paired with a black top, delivered an emotional promise to her late husband. “I love you Charlie, baby. And I will make you proud,” she said.
President Donald Trump, who attended the memorial, posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In his speech, Trump praised Kirk's faith, recalling how the late man had called his decision to become a Christian in fifth grade the “most important decision of his life”.
“The answer to hate is not hate,” Erika said during the service. “The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love - love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Tyler Robinson, 22, from Utah, has been arrested and charged with seven counts related to the killing, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering.
Despite the tragic loss, Erika has publicly stated that she forgives Robinson, saying it was what Charlie would have done.
"That young man, that young man. On the cross, our savior said: 'Father, forgive them for they not know what they do,'" she said. “That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do."
Erika Kirk has spoken publicly about the moment she saw her husband, Charlie Kirk's body, in the hospital and the words a surgeon shared with her after his assassination.
Kirk was shot in the neck on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during a stop on his Turning Point USA comeback tour.
According to videos from the scene, the shooting occurred shortly after the 31-year-old made comments about gun violence in response to a question about mass shootings.
An audience member asked: "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?" to which he replied: "Too many."
The person then said there had been five in 10 years and asked the Trump ally how many mass shooters there had been in that time. "Counting or not counting gang violence?" was Kirk's reply.
Then a single shot rang out, and the conservative activist collapsed in his chair with blood pouring from the wound.
On Sunday (September 21), a memorial for the late Turning Point USA founder was held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
Speaking at the event, Kirk's widow shared an emotional account of her final moments with her husband’s body in Utah and the comfort she received from a doctor who tried to save him.
"I saw the wound that ended his life. I felt everything he would expect to feel," Erika said, as reported by The Guardian. "I felt shock. I felt horror, and a level of heartache that I didn’t even know existed. But there was something else, too. Even in death, I could see the man that I love."
She added: "But there was something else too. Even in death, I could see the man that I love… I also saw on his lips the faintest smile."
She revealed that the surgeon told her the shot was so devastating that even if it had happened inside the operating room, it wouldn’t have been survivable.
"There was no pain, there was no fear, no agony," she said. "One moment, Charlie was doing what he loved... then he blinked. He blinked and saw his savior in paradise.”
A spokesperson for TPUSA, Andrew Kolvet, echoed that account, sharing further details about the nature of Kirk’s injury in a statement posted to X: "I just spoke with the surgeon who worked on Charlie in the hospital."
"He said the bullet 'absolutely should have gone through, which is very very normal for a high powered, high velocity round. I’ve seen wounds from this caliber many times and they always just go through everything. This would have taken a moose or two down, an elk, etc.'"
"But it didn’t go through. Charlie’s body stopped it," he added.
The service drew massive crowds and featured appearances from high-profile political figures.
President Donald Trump spoke at the event and posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Today, an entire nation wraps its loving arms around you and your beautiful children,” Trump said, addressing Erika. “We vow that we will do everything we can to ensure that your children grow up in a land where their father is honored and revered as a great American hero," per The Independent.
Of the late right-wing influencer, he said: “What was even more important to Charlie than politics and service was the choice he made in the fifth grade - which he called the 'most important decision of his life' - to become a Christian and a follower of his savior, Jesus Christ.”
Erika has now taken on leadership of the organization her husband founded, telling the crowd: “I love you Charlie, baby. And I will make you proud.”
Tyler Robinson, 22, has since been arrested and charged with seven counts in connection with the shooting.
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