Erika Kirk Acknowledges Supporters as Charlie Kirk’s Casket Arrives in Arizona
Erika Frantzve covers her mouth and holds out a rosary as she greets supporters in Phoenix, Arizona. Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Erika Frantzve, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, held a rosary in her hand and waved solemnly from the backseat of an SUV as her husband’s body was escorted to a chapel in Arizona on Thursday evening.
Fighting back tears behind dark sunglasses, Frantzve was greeted by a crowd of supporters waving American flags outside Hansen Mortuary Chapel in Phoenix. The scene was one of grief and patriotism, marking the return of Kirk’s body following his tragic assassination.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck by a sniper while speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University during the launch of his “American Comeback” tour. The shot was fired from the rooftop of the nearby Losee Center, approximately 200 yards from where he stood.
In the wake of the shocking attack, Vice President JD Vance arranged for Kirk’s body to be flown to Arizona aboard Air Force 2. Vance, who canceled a planned appearance at a 9/11 memorial in Manhattan, chose instead to accompany Kirk’s grieving family alongside his wife, Usha Vance.
Both Frantzve and Kirk’s parents were in Utah at the time of the attack. On Thursday, Frantzve and Usha Vance were seen descending the steps of Air Force 2 hand-in-hand at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where they stood in silence as Kirk’s wooden casket was transferred to a hearse for the 10-mile procession to the chapel.
Earlier that day, Vice President Vance personally helped carry Kirk’s casket during a private ceremony at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City.
In a moving tribute shared on X (formerly Twitter), Vance described Kirk as a close friend and mentor.
“Charlie was always reaching out—checking on our family, offering guidance and prayers,” Vance wrote. “He’d give me a big hug after every event and ask how he could help. That’s just who he was.”
Vance recalled his first encounter with Kirk in 2017, after an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show:
“After the segment, I got a DM from a name I barely recognized—Charlie Kirk. He told me I’d done a great job. That’s how our friendship started.”
He praised Kirk’s intellectual curiosity and generosity, even in moments of ideological disagreement.
“Charlie was never condescending. When others were right, he listened. When he was right—as he often was—he welcomed you in with open arms,” Vance wrote.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, began supporting Vance politically even before the Ohio senator formally entered politics.
“He didn’t have to support me—I was polling below 5%,” Vance noted. “But he did it because he was my friend, and because he was a good man.”
Frantzve, a former Miss Arizona (2012), married Kirk in 2021. The couple shared two young children.
President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that he spoke with Frantzve in the wake of her husband’s death.
“I had a long talk with Erika,” Trump said. “She’s devastated. Absolutely devastated—as anyone would be.”
Trump also announced he would attend Kirk’s funeral and posthumously award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“It’s not just something I want to do—it’s something I feel obligated to do,” Trump said.
As the nation reels from the assassination, the search continues for the lone shooter, who remains at large.
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