George Zinn, 71, further admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material and pleaded no contest to allegations
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 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 cell phone, so he was worried about investigators looking at the device.
