In the frenzied moments after the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down in September in Utah, a 71-year-old man approached a detective and began screaming, officials said, “I shot him — now shoot me!”
The man, George Zinn, was briefly detained for questioning, but the police later determined he had not been involved in Mr. Kirk’s killing. Instead, he told the authorities that he had falsely confessed to help the real assassin escape.
Mr. Zinn pleaded no contest last Thursday to one count of obstruction of justice and faces up to five years in prison on that charge, a third-degree felony, and up to 15 years on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor that arose from the investigation into his false confession. The authorities said Mr. Zinn had tried to derail their investigation and had delayed their search for Mr. Kirk’s actual killer.
A lawyer for Mr. Zinn did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Zinn was arrested within minutes of the shooting and repeatedly told the authorities that he had killed Mr. Kirk, according to court documents.
He did not have a weapon at the time of his arrest, and when officers asked about the location of the gun used in the shooting, Mr. Zinn said, “I am not going to tell you where it is.”
After he was taken into custody, Mr. Zinn complained that he had chest pain and was taken to a hospital, where an officer from Utah Valley University, in Orem, monitored him for several hours.
Mr. Zinn told the officer he was glad he had claimed responsibility for Mr. Kirk’s shooting “so the real suspect could get away,” according to court documents. He also said he wanted to be a martyr for Mr. Kirk.
During their investigation, the authorities asked Mr. Zinn if they would find anything illegal if they searched his phone. He replied that he had used the phone to view child sexual abuse material.
The police obtained a warrant to search the device and found that Mr. Zinn had sent images of child sexual abuse.
He then pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, both second-degree felonies.
Judge Thomas Low of the Fourth District Court in Provo, Utah, sentenced Mr. Zinn last week to up to 15 years in prison for each sexual exploitation charge and up to five years in prison for the obstruction charge. Mr. Zinn will serve the terms concurrently.
Judges in Utah suggest a range of prison time for offenders, rather than a fixed sentence. The Utah Parole Board will determine Mr. Zinn’s final sentence in the coming weeks.
Mr. Kirk, who led the right-wing group Turning Point USA and was a close ally of President Trump’s, was fatally shot in the neck on Sept. 10 during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University.
Videos posted on social media after Mr. Kirk’s assassination showed police officers escorting Mr. Zinn away from the scene as some of the event’s 3,000 attendees screamed at him. Several people in the crowd swore and made verbal threats against Mr. Zinn, according to court documents.
Mr. Zinn, a political gadfly, has a lengthy criminal record in Utah that dates back three decades and includes misdemeanor charges such as disorderly conduct, public urination and criminal trespassing at an institution of higher education.
The authorities arrested Tyler Robinson, 22, in connection with Mr. Kirk’s killing on Sept. 11 after he surrendered at a sheriff’s office in St. George, Utah.
Mr. Robinson has since been charged with seven state criminal counts, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty in his case.
Georgia Gee contributed research.
Hannah Ziegler is a general assignment reporter for The Times, covering topics such as crime, business, weather, pop culture and online trends.
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