The late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk advocated for the death penalty on several occasions, arguing it should apply broadly in murder cases rather than only in the most extreme circumstances. (REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty Images)
"I believe in a small but strong government and, for the record, I believe that someone who took a life should have their life taken," Kirk told the student.
"Under every circumstance?" the student asks Kirk.
CHARLIE KIRK ANSWERED 'HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED' LESS THAN 3 MONTHS BEFORE KILLING
"Under most, yeah," Kirk responds.
The student countered that the death penalty should be reserved for extreme instances, such as school shootings, mass murders and crimes against humanity, but not for what she described as "eye-for-an-eye nonsense."
Charile Kirk and his wife, Erika Kirk, and their two children, prior to his assassination on Sept. 10, 2025. (Erika Kirk via Instagram)
Similarly in 2024, during an episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, the conservative activist and his co-hosts debated capital punishment, including what age children should be before witnessing an execution, and whether such exposure would reduce crime, Newsweek reported at the time.
"Death penalties should be public, should be quick, it should be televised," Kirk said.
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Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father, was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University as part of his "American Comeback Tour." He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Sophia Compton is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirks-strong-stance-death-penalty-resurfaces-utah-assassination