Man who falsely claimed he shot Charlie Kirk sentenced to prison in Utah

George Zinn received a harsher prison sentence after police found child sex abuse materials on his phone after arresting him at UVU.

The man who yelled that he had shot Charlie Kirk after the political commentator was killed at Utah Valley University is going to prison for making the false claim, which authorities say diverted law enforcement’s attention when they were trying to find the actual shooter.

George Zinn, 71, pleaded no contest on Thursday to a third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, admitting that police found child sex abuse materials on his phone when they questioned him on Sept. 10 after he claimed he had shot Kirk.

Fourth District Court Judge Thomas Low sentenced Zinn to spend up to 15 years in prison for the crimes: Two one-to-15 year terms for the second-degree felony exploitation charges, and a zero-to-five year sentence for obstruction. He will serve the terms concurrently.

In Utah, it’s up to the parole board to ultimately decide how much time Zinn will spend behind bars.

Zinn, who wore a blue jail jumpsuit and shackles, did not mention Kirk’s shooting when he read a statement in court before he was sentenced. He told Low that the images found on his phone were part of a “chatroom dialogue with photos that are public access.”

“I wish the court to know I am not and will never be a danger to children or their parents,” he said.

Zinn began to cry while reading his statement, and asked his attorney to finish reading the letter. Defense attorney Carly Madsen also became emotional as she spoke to Low about Zinn.

“Mr. Zinn is an interesting man who led a very difficult life,” she said, “who never fit in. Never really got the love or attention he deserved. And never got the help he needed, resources that would that helped him years ago.”

Madsen continued: “It’s my hope in the future that Mr. Zinn is able to get the help he needs and the resources he needs.”

Before Kirk’s shooting, Zinn had a reputations as a Utah “gadfly,” a common sight at political events and protests or any gathering that would attract cameras and attention, including the Sundance Film Festival.

He was arrested Sept. 10, in the moments after Kirk was shot, and video of authorities carrying him from the scene spread rapidly online, with many believing in the immediate chaos that he was the shooter. Ultimately, police said Zinn did not match the description of the shooting suspect, and prosecutors believe another man fatally shot Kirk.

Tyler James Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder and other felonies in connection with Kirk’s death.

In the moments after Kirk was shot, Zinn yelled, “I shot him, now shoot me!” according to a plea agreement. A detective arrested him and began searching him, asking where the gun was. The plea agreement states that Zinn stated, “I am not going to tell you where it is. I shot him, now shoot me.”

In the plea agreement document, Zinn admits that he “diverted the attention of multiple law enforcement officers from their efforts to secure the scene and find the actual shooter.”

After Zinn was arrested, investigators secured a warrant and found that the man had saved inappropriate images of children on his phone, according to charging records. He would share them in chats with others, claiming the images were pictures of his daughters, the document alleges, adding that he also received similar images from others.