PROVO, UT – A 71-year-old man who reportedly tried misleading investigators moments after the assassination of Charlie Kirk by claiming to be the shooter is facing up to 15 years behind bars after pleading no contest to the aforementioned as well as possession of child sex abuse materials (CSAM).
On January 29th, George Zinn, a frequent agitator at protests and public events in recent years, was handed down a one-to-fifteen year prison sentence on two CSAM charges, as well as a sentence of up to five years in prison for an obstruction charge stemming from his exploits following the assassination of Kirk this past September.
Zinn was initially taken into custody on September 10th, 2025, shortly after Kirk was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University, reportedly shouting at officers at the time, “I shot him, now shoot me!” After being taken into custody, Zinn had reportedly suffered an unspecified medical episode and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
While being questioned by authorities at the hospital, Zinn allegedly admitted to the ruse of pretending to be Kirk’s shooter, telling investigators he was “glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away.”
Authorities also say Zinn admitted to possessing illicit images of children on his phone while being questioned, with investigators reportedly discovering 20 CSAM images depicting victims aged between 5 and 12 years old, alongside messages revealing he’d exchanged the illicit images with others.
Before Zinn’s September 2025 arrest, he’d had brushes with the law going back three decades, according to reports. Back in 2013, a then-59-year-old Zinn made headlines after being arrested on terroristic threat charges for allegedly emailing SLC Marathon organizers inquiring if they “needed anybody to help place bombs near the finish line.” The aforementioned email, reportedly drafted by Zinn, was sent within a week of the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and seriously injured nearly 200 others.
Zinn’s criminal history reportedly dates as far back as 1989, with dozens of misdemeanor allegations and convictions of trespassing, disturbing the peace, interfering with an officer, and theft of services.
While initially charged with second-degree obstruction for the false claims made to law enforcement in the wake of the Kirk assassination, the charge was reduced to third-degree obstruction via a plea deal reached with prosecutors. Zinn also pleaded no contest to the two CSAM charges, and the length of his sentence will ultimately be decided by Utah’s parole board.
On January 29th, George Zinn, a frequent agitator at protests and public events in recent years, was handed down a one-to-fifteen year prison sentence on two CSAM charges, as well as a sentence of up to five years in prison for an obstruction charge stemming from his exploits following the assassination of Kirk this past September.
Zinn was initially taken into custody on September 10th, 2025, shortly after Kirk was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University, reportedly shouting at officers at the time, “I shot him, now shoot me!” After being taken into custody, Zinn had reportedly suffered an unspecified medical episode and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
While being questioned by authorities at the hospital, Zinn allegedly admitted to the ruse of pretending to be Kirk’s shooter, telling investigators he was “glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away.”
Authorities also say Zinn admitted to possessing illicit images of children on his phone while being questioned, with investigators reportedly discovering 20 CSAM images depicting victims aged between 5 and 12 years old, alongside messages revealing he’d exchanged the illicit images with others.
Before Zinn’s September 2025 arrest, he’d had brushes with the law going back three decades, according to reports. Back in 2013, a then-59-year-old Zinn made headlines after being arrested on terroristic threat charges for allegedly emailing SLC Marathon organizers inquiring if they “needed anybody to help place bombs near the finish line.” The aforementioned email, reportedly drafted by Zinn, was sent within a week of the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and seriously injured nearly 200 others.
Zinn’s criminal history reportedly dates as far back as 1989, with dozens of misdemeanor allegations and convictions of trespassing, disturbing the peace, interfering with an officer, and theft of services.
While initially charged with second-degree obstruction for the false claims made to law enforcement in the wake of the Kirk assassination, the charge was reduced to third-degree obstruction via a plea deal reached with prosecutors. Zinn also pleaded no contest to the two CSAM charges, and the length of his sentence will ultimately be decided by Utah’s parole board.
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