Charlie Kirk's widow Erika waves to supporters on his final journey

by · Mail Online

Charlie Kirk's heartbroken widow Erika last night waved to supporters as her husband's casket was transported to a chapel.

Erika Kirk, née Frantzve, was dressed in all black and wearing sunglasses as she arrived in Arizona on Thursday evening after her husband's body was flown back from Utah on Air Force Two.

The 36-year-old was greeted by a crowd of mourners waving American flags as a motorcade escorted her to the chapel.

The mother of two waved to her supporters through an open window, fighting back tears as she held a rosary in her hand.

Erika is a devout Christian and has leaned into her faith after Kirk's assassination.

Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck while speaking in Utah on Wednesday, leaving behind his wife and their two kids, a three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son.

Erika was accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha as her husband's remains were transported back from Utah. 

A funeral is planned for next week, which Donald Trump has said he will attend.

Podcast All episodes

Erika Kirk waved to her supporters from an SUV on Thursday evening, fighting back tears and holding a rosary in her hand, as her husband's remains were taken to an Arizona chapel
Charlie Kirk's remains arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Air Force Two. Accompanying the coffin were Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha and Erika
Erika (pictured with her husband) is a devout Christian and has leaned into her faith after Kirk's assassination

Usha held hands with Erika in a heartfelt gesture as they disembarked from Air Force Two. 

The women were dressed in all black and wearing sunglasses as they somberly walked off the aircraft with JD behind them. 

Erika kept her gaze down as she stepped off the aircraft, as Usha put her arm around her, seemingly to guide her down the stairs. 

The Second Lady then pointed into the distance before moving her hand to meet Erika's.  

Hand in hand, the two slowly descended marking the conclusion of Kirk's final plane ride back to his home state of Arizona. 

His two young children and parents, who witnessed the activist's murder, were also on board. 

National Guard members were seen carrying Kirk's mahogany coffin on and off the plane. 

The President said that he has spoken with Kirk's wife, Erika, and said she is 'devastated, absolutely devastated'. 

JD Vance also shared a powerful tribute, describing Kirk as a 'true friend' and, the 'kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him'. 

Listen to the Daily Mail podcast series - available wherever you get your podcasts now or on Daily Mail's YouTube Channel. Follow and subscribe to never miss an episode
A crowd of mourners waving US flags greeted Erika as a motorcade escorted her to the chapel
A supporter waves a flag as a crowd pays their respects to Kirk
Erika rides in the passenger seat of a hearse containing the body of her husband
Erika and Usha Vance arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Thursday

Trump revealed today that the suspect in the killing has been captured.  

Sources told the Daily Mail the individual has been identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident.

The President announced the arrest in an appearance on Fox News, where he said that 'someone very close' to the suspect turned him in.

'I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody,' Trump told Fox & Friends this morning. 

The shooter confessed to his father that he was the perpetrator. His father then tipped off law enforcement and secured his son until officers arrived, law enforcement sources told the Daily Mail. 

Robinson was still being questioned as of this morning.

While Trump said he didn't want to get ahead of his Justice Department and the FBI, he shared a few details that he knows about how they tracked down the suspected shooter.

'It was a minister who was involved with law enforcement… his good friend is a top US Marshal – and they took it from there,' Trump said, suggesting that the suspect's father told him it was time to turn himself in.

The New York Times reported that the suspect was taken into custody around 11pm local time in Utah last night.

Little is known of Robinson at this time, and officials have not yet released a motive for the shooting.

Usha and Erika were dressed in all black and wearing sunglasses as they somberly walked off the aircraft with JD Vance trailing behind
National Guard members were seen carrying Kirk's mahogany coffin on and off the plane
Erika, 36, kept her gaze down as she stepped off the aircraft, as Usha put her arm around the grieving mother of two
Hand in hand, the two slowly trekked to the ground, marking the conclusion of Kirk's final plane ride back to his home state of Arizona
Officials unload Kirk's casket off Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport yesterday

Read More

Charlie Kirk's wife left behind with two young children after conservative activist is fatally shot

Authorities said at a press conference last night that Robinson will face the death penalty if convicted of the assassination.

Investigators previously revealed that ammunition found in a weapon discovered near to the scene had been engraved with transgender and antifascist slogans.

Robinson's arrest comes after a manhunt for the suspect stretched to over a day and a half, with officials previously offering a reward of $100,000 for information leading to his capture.

Surveillance footage had been released showing a figure on top of a roof leaping from a building and sprinting into a nearby neighborhood after Kirk was shot from around 200 yards away.

Kirk was killed when a single bullet struck his neck as he addressed more than 3,000 people in the crowd at a UVU rally on Wednesday afternoon.

Gunfire rang through the crowd as he was mid-sentence, responding to a prompt about mass shootings

Authorities suspect the fatal shot came from the top of the Losee Center of the Orem campus, about 200 yards away from where Kirk was sitting under a tent. 

Blood poured from his neck as terror ensued among the audience members, who were seen frantically fleeing the gory scene.

Father-of-two Kirk was killed by a single gunshot wound to the neck on Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University
Kirk leaves behind his wife and their two kids, a three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son

The attack, carried out in broad daylight, was captured on grisly videos shared on social media.

The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a college-age appearance, fired one shot from the rooftop, according to authorities.

Video released yesterday showed the person then walking through the grass and across the street before disappearing.

'I can tell you this was a targeted event,' said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City.

For more on this story - follow Daily Mail podcast 'The Assassination of Charlie Kirk,' out now wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube.