The man who falsely claimed he shot Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, diverting police attention from looking for the real killer, was sentenced to prison Thursday for child sex crimes and obstruction of justice.
George Zinn, 71, drew police attention in the chaotic moments after Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University in September.
Video footage showing police escorting Zinn from the campus circulated widely on social media, initially leading many to mistakenly believe he was the shooter amid the confusion at the crime scene.
Zinn was taken into custody after admitting he deliberately misled officers in an effort to obstruct the investigation, telling police he wanted to divert resources away from securing the scene and searching for the actual gunman.
According to a plea agreement, a detective asked Zinn where the gun was, following his arrest, to which he replied, "I am not going to tell you where it is. I shot him, now shoot me."
Zinn broke down in court as he pleaded guilty to two second-degree felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and entered a no contest plea to a third-degree felony obstruction of justice charge.
Charging documents state that Zinn saved illegal images of children to his phone, shared them with others in online chats while falsely claiming the images were of his daughters, and received similar material from other individuals.
Fourth District Court Judge Thomas Low sentenced Zinn to two prison terms of up to 15 years for the child exploitation convictions and an additional term of up to five years for obstruction of justice, with all sentences to be served concurrently.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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