The elderly man who falsely claimed he shot Charlie Kirk to create mass confusion during the conservative influencer’s assassination cried out in court as he was sentenced to prison for keeping “graphic” sexual photos of children.
George Zinn, 71, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor on Thursday after police discovered the vile photos on his cellphone when he was detained at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
He also pleaded no contest to an obstruction of justice charge.
Zinn was captured on video shouting, “I shot him! Now shoot me,” after Kirk, 31, was killed by alleged gunman Tyler Robinsonduring the outdoor campus event.
The known rabble-rouser was initially detained for interfering with law enforcement at the event but investigators later found more than 20 images of kids as young as 5 years old, at least partially naked and posing in a “sexual” way.
The second-degree felony exploitation charges carry between one to 15 years behind bars each with an additional one to five years for third-degree obstruction. All sentences would run concurrently, the outlet reported.
Zinn faces a maximum of 15 years behind bars, but a parole board will decide his fate.
During his court appearance, Zinn wept in an attempt to convey that he would never harm minors.
“I wish the court to know I am not and will never be a danger to children or their parents,” he said, according to the outlet.
“Every desire and commitment to change and lead a responsible and productive life,” Zinn said, promising, “nobody wants to excel more than me.”
“I want to put the past behind me and move forward,” Zinn said as he broke into tears.
Stay up to date on Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer
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His defense attorney defended the convict describing him as an “interesting man” who lived a 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,” Carly Madsen said. “It’s my hope in the future that Mr. Zinn is able to get the help he needs and the resources he needs.”
Zinn was known to attend political events around Utah and was described as “odd” and a “gadfly.”
“Almost every political event you can think of, there was always George somewhere in the background, listening,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill previously told the Salt Lake Tribune.
“He’s a person who can be odd, and has those kinds of sometimes odd behavior challenges,” said Gill, whose office has prosecuted Zinn several times. “But by and large, he’s more of a gadfly than anything else.”
Zinn previously admitted he had distracted law enforcement to “draw attention from the real shooter,” after the Turning Point USA founder was shot.
Kirk was pronounced dead hours after the shooting, and a large-scale manhunt was launched for the shooter.
Robinson, who was arrested days later, faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
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