Erika Kirk was reportedly on a flight to Utah when Charlie Kirk was pronounced dead, insisted on seeing his body even after being advised not to

On Saturday, September 21, Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, sat down with Robert Draper, a reporter for The New York Times, to speak about her husband's passing.

In the exclusive interview, Erika recalled the day before Charlie's event at Utah Valley University, where he was shot and killed (on September 10).

NEW: Erika Kirk was on a flight to Utah immediately after Charlie was shot, and he was pronounced d*ad while she was in the air. The NYT: “The sheriff met her in the hospital. He offered her the option of seeing the body but, she said, advised against it. The bullet, he… pic.twitter.com/FlE5UxRGAM

— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) September 21, 2025

Erika was in a Phoenix hospital with her mother, who was undergoing medical treatment there, when she received a call about Charlie having been shot. Erika immediately boarded an airplane to Utah upon hearing the news, but was still in the air when he was pronounced dead. 

Recounting her plane ride, Ms. Kirk said:

"I’m looking at the clouds and the mountains. It was such a gorgeous day, and I was thinking: This is exactly what he last saw."

Upon landing in Utah and arriving at the hospital where Charlie Kirk had been admitted, Erika met a sheriff, who advised her against seeing his body. When he explained that the bullet had "ravaged" her husband's neck, she said in response:

"With all due respect, I want to see what they did to my husband."

However, the sight she saw came to her as a surprise. Erika described it as:

"His eyes were semi-open. And he had this knowing, Mona Lisa-like half-smile. Like he’d died happy. Like Jesus rescued him. The bullet came, he blinked, and he was in heaven."

Erika Kirk's interview with the media outlet comes a day after she was announced to be heading her late husband's organization, Turning Point USA. The political action group was founded by Kirk and Bill Montgomery back in 2012 and has since evolved as one of the most prominent conservative groups in the country. 

Erika Kirk said she forgave her husband's killer at his memorial 

Erika Kirk WOW!!!!!

She is the leader we need and her entire speech was truly amazing!!

God bless @MrsErikaKirk ❤️

pic.twitter.com/BQewF92zXo

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) September 21, 2025

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Erika Kirk was also the first one to take the stage at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sunday (September 21), where Charlie Kirk's memorial was being held. At one point during her heartfelt tribute to her late husband, Ms. Kirk also brought up his killer, Tyler Robinson, saying:

"That man, that young man … I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us."

She went on to recall the time when she saw Charlie Kirk's body in the Utah hospital on September 10, adding that she had felt "shock," "horror," and "heartache" at his sight, before adding:

"But even in death, I could see the man that I loved. I saw the single gray hair on the side of his head, which I never told him about. I also saw in his lips the faintest smile. It revealed to me a great mercy from God in this tragedy. When I saw that, it told me Charlie didn't suffer."

Charlie Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Kirk, and their two children.