On Thursday and Friday, Paul Jacob addressed two elements of the Charlie Kirk assassination. But much more has happened, especially since writing these two Common Sense commentaries.
First, Mr. Kirk’s wife, Erika, addressed the public:
Good evening. My name is Erika Kirk. Charlie Kirk is my husband. I first want to thank the local, state, and federal law enforcement who worked tirelessly to capture my husband’s assassin so that he can be brought to justice.
I want to thank the first responders who struggled heroically to save Charles’ life, and the police who acted bravely to make sure that there were no other victims on that terrible afternoon. I want to thank the officers who have protected our Turning Point USA family these past two days, and I want to thank the Turning Point USA board, the COO, Justin Streiff, and my husband’s chief of staff, the amazing Mikey McCoy, for all their work in these terrible days to be the stability for our family, and for the wider Turning Point USA family as well.
My heart is with every one of my husband’s employees who lost a friend and a mentor. I want to thank the staffers of his amazing Charlie Kirk show, who helped him broadcast from this studio, this chair. Every day, he loved it. He loved what he did.
I want to thank the millions of people who have shown their love for Charlie here in Phoenix, across America, and worldwide. I want to thank my husband’s dear friend, Vice President Vance, and his phenomenal wife, Usha, for their love and support. You guys honored my husband so well, bringing him home. You both are tremendous.
I want to thank President Trump and his incredible family for the same. Mr. President, my husband loved you, and he knew that you loved him too.
Transcript: “Mrs. Erika Kirk Delivers Public Address: ‘His Movement Will Go On,’” The Single Post (September 13, 2025).
One of the more prominent commenters on X, horror writer Stephen King, apologized and retracted his egregious comment on Kirk and his assassination: “I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages,” tweeted Mr. King. Uh, OK.
The apparent assassin, a 22-year-old Utah native, has been the subject of much speculation and inquiry. “His father sells granite kitchen countertops, his mother is a healthcare provider for handicapped people — and they are members of the Mormon church, but inactive,” reports KTen News.
According to NPR News, “The arrest of Tyler Robinson sent shockwaves through the small community where his family lives. Washington, a city of around 30,000, sits next to St. George in Utah’s southwest corner. It’s a 3 ½-hour drive from the Utah Valley University campus” where the shooting occurred.
The 22-year-old is the suspect in the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during a Wednesday event at the campus in Orem. After a 33-hour manhunt, Robinson’s family helped turn him in the following day.
On Friday morning, after law enforcement released Robinson’s name, officers from the Washington City Police and Washington County Sheriff’s Office patrolled a quiet street, preventing onlookers from approaching the family’s two-story gray stucco home.
But it is hard to forget that many news sources’ tilted coverage against the victim. The Guardian’s coverage is typical: “Charlie Kirk in his own words: ‘prowling Blacks’ and ‘the great replacement strategy,’” runs the headline; the blurb is perhaps worse: “The far-right commentator didn’t pull his punches when discussing his bigoted views on current events.”
