George Zinn, falsely claimed to be Charlie Kirk’s assassin, convicted of child sex abuse materials

The man who falsely claimed to be Charlie Kirk’s assassin in order to distract police has pleaded guilty to having child sex abuse materials on his phone that were discovered after his arrest.

George Zinn, 71, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and felony obstruction of justice in a Utah municipal court. He could spend up to 15 years in prison when a state parole board reviews his case at a later date.

Moments after Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University, Zinn began screaming that he had killed the conservative activist, court documents show.

Authorities tackled and arrested Zinn amid the chaos, but when police asked him where the gun was, Zinn said, “I am not going to tell you where it is. I shot him, now shoot me,” the documents note.

Zinn was taken to a hospital after experiencing a medical episode during his arrest, the documents say. While receiving treatment, Zinn admitted to being “glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away.”

Detectives later charged Tyler Robinson in Kirk’s slaying.

Zinn also said he was uneasy about the police confiscating his phone because he had child sex abuse materials on the device.

Charging documents said investigators found more than 20 images of children in which youths were partially naked or posing in a “sexual” manner.

“I wish the court to know I am not and will never be a danger to children or their parents,” Zinn said during his hearing last week, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

“I want to put the past behind me and move forward,” he said through tears.

Salt Lake City prosecutors said they had charged Zinn several times in the past for his conduct in public. One case in 2013 involved Zinn asking Salt Lake City marathon organizers if he could help set up bombs at the finish line, just days after the Boston Marathon bombing had left three dead.