Overview of Erika Cries…Again. A Mysterious Death In Pennsylvania Reignites Butler Conspiracies. | Ep 349
Candace Owens spends this episode weaving together a set of interconnected and highly speculative claims about the Butler, Pennsylvania rally, Charlie Kirk’s assassination, a separate 2022 death in Pennsylvania, and the 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon. Her central argument is that these events may be linked through explosives, secrecy, and alleged cover-ups involving political and intelligence figures. She also criticizes Turning Point USA leadership, especially Erica Kirk, for emotional responses and for what Owens frames as inconsistent views on Israel.
Main Storylines
Butler, Pennsylvania and “the real victim”
- Owens revisits the July 2024 Butler rally and argues that the “real victim” of the evening was not Donald Trump, but firefighter Corey Comparator.
- She says she has heard from people connected to Comparator’s widow, who allegedly still has unanswered questions about what happened.
- Owens plays a clip of Charlie Kirk criticizing the official Butler narrative, using it as evidence that Kirk himself believed the incident was suspicious.
Mark Leedy’s 2022 death and the explosives thread
- Owens introduces the 2022 death of Mark A. Leedy in Pennsylvania, who died in a burn-barrel explosion ruled a freak accident.
- She questions that explanation because Leedy worked in oil and gas perforating operations and allegedly had access to PETN, a high explosive.
- Owens claims a high school friend said Leedy admitted to illegally taking explosives from work shortly before his death.
- She then connects this to Corey Comparator, saying Leedy was friends with Comparator and that Comparator knew about the alleged explosives theft.
Charlie Kirk, Butler, and the “suspicious” narrative
- Owens argues that Charlie Kirk’s own words about Butler mirror the concerns she has about his assassination.
- She says the lack of firings, resignations, or accountability makes the official story implausible.
- Owens also suggests that Kirk’s assassination involved a “security apparatus” that does not add up and hints at broader coordination.
Pager attacks in Lebanon and PETN
- She pivots to the September 2024 pager bombings in Lebanon and Syria, describing them as a precision attack using PETN.
- Owens repeats the claim that Israel used shell companies and supply-chain infiltration to rig pagers, presenting it as a model for covert operations.
- She cites a Mossad interview boasting about creating “Truman Show”-style fake companies and controlling the scene behind the scenes.
- Owens highlights Reuters reporting that the pagers contained only about six grams of PETN, using that to argue the operation was designed to maim rather than maximize fatalities.
A gold pager gift from Netanyahu
- Owens points to Benjamin Netanyahu’s February 2025 gift of a golden pager to Donald Trump as evidence that the pager operation has broader significance.
- She frames the gift as eerie, inappropriate, and possibly revealing of hidden ties or inside jokes around the attack.
Erica Kirk and Turning Point USA
Repeated emotional breakdowns
- Owens mocks Erica Kirk for crying on camera again and says critics blame her for Owens’s scrutiny.
- She rejects the idea that Erica’s emotional moments should halt investigation or questions.
Alleged anti-Israel views and contradictions
- Owens says a prior conversation with Tucker Carlson revealed Erica was “hardcore” anti-Israel before Charlie’s death.
- She argues that Erica’s later public shift toward pro-Israel messaging is inconsistent and suspicious.
- Owens suggests Erica may have been saying different things to different people and questions whether Charlie’s changing views on Israel were suppressed or concealed.
Criticism of her post-assassination role
- Owens accuses Erica of quickly stepping into leadership, managing Charlie Kirk’s legacy, and avoiding the harder questions about his death.
- She portrays Erica’s public grieving as politically useful and strategically amplified by Turning Point and government-linked messaging.
FOIA Request on Kash Patel
- Owens says she filed a FOIA request for Kash Patel’s schedule, travel, and meeting records for the days surrounding Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
- She mentions an FBI plane that landed in Salt Lake City on September 8, 2025, and says the timing seems worth checking.
- The FBI response cited “unusual circumstances” and said the request would be delayed.
- Owens frames that delay as evasive and consistent with a broader lack of transparency.
Reactions From Public Figures
- Owens highlights Joe Rogan asking blunt questions about unresolved political mysteries, including Epstein, JFK, and Charlie Kirk.
- She contrasts Rogan’s skepticism with what she sees as the defensiveness of Blake Neff and others in the Turning Point orbit.
- She argues that people who ask questions are being attacked while the official narrative is protected.
Listener Comments and Outro
- Owens reads several listener comments, including:
- a joke about Kash Patel always looking terrified,
- a broader critique of elites distracting the public,
- a question about Erica Kirk’s trademarks and branding,
- a “dictator 2028” joke aimed at Owens,
- and a note about FOIA pronunciation.
- She ends by promoting merch, joking about anti-“Candacism,” and teasing an upcoming book club discussion covering Russia and feminism.
Key Takeaways
- The episode is built around Owens’s theory that multiple deaths and attacks are connected by explosives, intelligence operations, and political concealment.
- She strongly questions official explanations for Butler, Mark Leedy’s death, and Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
- Erica Kirk is a major target of Owens’s criticism, especially around her grief, her leadership role, and her alleged shifting stance on Israel.
- The FOIA request is presented as a concrete attempt to probe government timelines, despite bureaucratic pushback.
- The tone is combative, conspiratorial, and highly accusatory, with Owens urging viewers to keep asking questions and reject the “Fed slop” narrative.