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A man accused of trying to thwart authorities investigating Charlie Kirk’s killing by falsely confessing to the deadly shooting faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to the allegation – and separately admitting to possessing child sexual abuse material.
The case centering on George Zinn, 71, all but concluded at a court hearing on Thursday in Provo, Utah, about 5 miles away from the college campus where the Turning Point USA executive director was fatally shot on 10 September 2025.
Documents filed in Zinn’s case alleged that he began screaming, “I shot him – now shoot me,” at Utah Valley University immediately after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking there. Video of officers at the scene having restrained Zinn circulated widely online, leading some to believe that he was the conservative political activist’s killer.
But, after experiencing an unspecified medical episode and being brought to a hospital, Zinn allegedly told officers he was “glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away”, police documents said. He also purportedly said he had illicit child sexual abuse material on his cellphone, so he was worried about investigators looking at the device.
Authorities subsequently charged Zinn with second-degree obstruction of justice as well as various counts of sexual exploitation of minors. The latter counts were connected to more than 20 images depicting child sexual abuse, including of minors believed to be between five and 12 years old – along with explicit messages sharing the imagery with others.
On Thursday, in front of Thomas Low, a Utah state court judge, Zinn pleaded no contest to a reduced, third-degree obstruction charge related to the events at UVU. Zinn additionally pleaded guilty to some of the sexual exploitation of minors counts.
Low sentenced Zinn to up to five years in prison for the obstruction plea. The other plea got Zinn one to 15 years in prison, as Utah news outlets KSL and ABC 4 first reported.
It is ultimately up to a state parole board to determine how long Zinn is going to remain imprisoned, Utah’s Salt Tribune wrote.
Zinn’s history of criminal charges and convictions in Utah reportedly dates back three decades. Notably, days after the deadly Boston Marathon terrorist bombing in 2013, he was arrested for allegedly asking Salt Lake City, Utah, marathon organizers if they needed help setting up bombs at the finish line.
Utah state prosecutors charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder in Kirk’s killing, which was one of several prominent instances of political violence in the US in 2025. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty against Robinson, who has pleaded not guilty.
