The known “gadfly” who falsely claimed responsibility for Charlie Kirk’s assassination learned his sentence for obstruction, as well as for sexual exploitation of a minor.
On the afternoon of Sept. 10, 2025, chaos followed tragedy on the campus of Utah Valley University after an assassin took the life of the father, husband and Christian patriot as he exercised his First Amendment right through open dialogue.
Amid efforts to save Kirk’s life, secure the scene, and identify the killer, 71-year-old George Zinn named himself responsible, a claim that opened him up to further scrutiny and ultimately a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for obstruction and possession of child sexual abuse material.
Thursday, Zinn pled no contest to a third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice as he also pled guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after police found child sexual abuse material on his phone, The Salt Lake Tribune reported, including children as young as five-years-old, according to the New York Post.
Those materials were discovered on the man’s phone after a warrant was executed as part of the investigation of Zinn, who presented himself to authorities as young people ran for cover on the UVU campus. It was then he was quoted as saying, “I shot him, now shoot me.”
Regarding the images, charging records indicate that Zinn claimed the images were pictures of his daughters that he would share in chats while receiving similar images from others. At the time of his sentencing, he expressed, “I wish the court to know I am not and will never be a danger to children or their parents.”
The convict went on to claim he has “every desire and commitment to change and lead a responsible and productive life … nobody wants to excel more than me.”
“I want to put the past behind me and move forward,” added Zinn.
In handing down the sentence, Fourth District Court Judge Thomas Low ordered two terms of one-to-15 years each for the sexual exploitation convictions and one term of zero-to-five years for the obstruction. Those terms were to be concurrent, and it remains up to a Utah parole board to determine the ultimate duration of Zinn’s incarceration.
“Mr. Zinn is an interesting man who led a very difficult life, 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,” contended defense attorney Carly Madsen. “It’s my hope in the future that Mr. Zinn is able to get the help he needs and the resources he needs.”
Prior to his actions at UVU in September, Zinn was known to figures in the state, as Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill suggested the man showed up at “almost every political event you can think of, there was always George somewhere in the background, listening.”
He was charged in 2013 with threatening to place bombs at the finish line of the Salt Lake City Marathon, in addition to an arrest for alleged disorderly conduct and failure to disperse after a protest against the Utah Inland Port Authority grew violent.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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