AN old man who falsely confessed to killing Charlie Kirk has been charged with possession of child sex abuse material.
George Zinn, 71, is facing four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after FBI agents say they discovered images of underage girls on his phone.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s OfficeGeorge Zinn, 71, faces four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after images were found on his phone[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialElderly agitator Zinn was arrested after Charlie Kirk’s shooting, then released[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialWitnesses said Zinn shouted about his rights, while others claimed he urged the crowd to ‘shoot him’[/caption]
ReutersCharlie Kirk was the founder and president of Turning Point USA[/caption]
He had already been charged with obstruction of justice after he shouted “I shot him, now shoot me” in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s assassination last Wednesday.
Bodycam and arrest footage of the white-haired man being handcuffed and led away went viral — and many online viewers initially mistook him for the killer.
Police later say Zinn admitted he lied and told investigators he wanted to “draw attention away from the real shooter.”
Now, prosecutors say the FBI’s forensic review of Zinn’s phone turned up dozens of images of undressed underage girls, TMZ reports.
According to court documents filed Tuesday, Zinn is charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after he allegedly admitted to agents he gets “sexually aroused” by children.
Zinn’s false confession slowed the initial investigation into Kirk’s killing and “needlessly took up law enforcement resources,”
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office clarified in a media release that there is no information tying Zinn to the actual shooter, and that the new exploitation counts were added following the FBI phone review.
The real suspect in Kirk’s killing, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a frantic manhunt and is now the focus of a wider murder probe.
Officials say DNA evidence from materials found at the suspected sniper’s nest matched Robinson, and investigators uncovered messages and notes allegedly revealing a plan to “take out” Kirk.
TikTok / anonymousbeauty4Social media videos captured Zinn’s arrest on September 10, but he was later released[/caption]
TikTok / anonymousbeauty4The 71-year-old had claimed he shot Charlie Kirk[/caption]
FBI Director Kash Patel said: “He claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do it, because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.”
Robinson allegedly admitted the attack in Discord messages sent to a close group, including: “Hey guys, I have bad news for you all.”
He later wrote: “It was me at UVU yesterday. I’m sorry for all of this,” according to screenshots shared by authorities.
Prosecutors say Robinson later contacted his father and was turned in.
Serial troublemaker
George Zinn is a longtime fixture at Utah political events and a frequent disruption at Republican gatherings.
He has an extensive brush-with-authority history, including a 2013 threat incident and multiple trespassing and disorderly-conduct charges.
The Salt Lake Tribune once described him as the “Utah gadfly – a regular at state Republican functions, and a frequent presence at movie promo screenings and the Sundance Film Festival”.
In 2012, a Tribune column joked: “Time for another thrilling chapter of our irregular serial, ‘The Further Adventures of George Zinn.’”
Zinn’s history includes a 2013 charge for threatening to plant bombs at the Salt Lake City Marathon finish line.
APKirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah[/caption]
AFPTyler Robinson has been identified as the suspect behind the shocking assassination of right wing influencer Charlie Kirk[/caption]
He struck a plea deal, serving probation and undergoing mental health treatment.
In 2019, he was among five arrested during a violent protest against the Utah Inland Port Authority — though his peers were half his age.
His antics go back to the 1980s, when he became a notorious gatecrasher at Republican Party events.
At the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans, he had nowhere to stay until Utah’s former Reagan-era education secretary T.H. Bell let him crash on a cot.
When he tried the same stunt at the 2012 RNC in Tampa, hotel staff booted him out.
His latest scrape came in May when he was arrested for blocking traffic.
“George stated he didn’t care if the vehicles waited all day,” an officer wrote.
“He told me he did not care, and to take him to jail.”
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10
Tuesday, September 9
8:29 am MDT – Shooter arrives on the Utah Valley University campus, as seen in surveillance videos.
Wednesday, September 10
11:52 am – The shooter, described as a college-age individual, arrives on campus before maneuvering onto a rooftop.
12:00 pm – Charlie Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.
4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.
4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released.
7:59 pm – Patel, the FBI director, confirmed a second subject taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.
Thursday, September 11
7:15 am – Officials hold a press conference where they announce they have “good video” of the suspect and they recovered the “high-action bolt rifle” in the nearby woods.
9:55 am – Visuals of the suspect are released as officials ask for the public’s help in identifying the individual in the photos.
10:44 am – FBI offers a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in Kirk’s assassination.
10:00 pm – Tyler Robinson is arrested on Thursday night in St. George, Utah, after his dad turned him in. He’s booked into the Utah County Jail.
Friday, September 12
6:00 am – Trump announces a suspect was in custody during an appearance on Fox & Friends. “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” the president said.
7:30 am – A press conference is held with FBI and Utah government officials, including Cox and Patel, where the Utah governor confirmed, “We got him.” The suspect is identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah.
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