A 71-year-old fraudster will spend up to 15 years behind bars for one of the most callous hoaxes in recent memory—calling out “I shot him, now shoot me” moments after Charlie Kirk was gunned down on a Utah campus.
George Zinn’s shameless stunt didn’t earn him sympathy. It earned him a third-degree felony obstruction conviction and two second-degree counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. All sentences run concurrently, with the exploitation charges carrying a 1–15-year term.
From the courtroom bench, Judge Tony Graf delivered a no-nonsense verdict: Zinn’s lies and perverse crimes demand prison time. A parole board will calculate his actual stay, but 15 years remains the ceiling.
On September 10, chaos erupted at Utah Valley University when an assassin struck down the Turning Point USA founder. While real first responders chased the killer, Zinn stole the spotlight—brandishing an imaginary pistol, screeching admissions, and daring officers to gun him down.
When deputies disarmed and searched him, they uncovered child-sexual-abuse images on his phone. Zinn protested that the material came from some nebulous “public chatroom.” His claim rang hollow. His record is now sealed with a felon’s stain.
Prosecutors pointed out the obvious: No gun. No testimony. Just a grotesque act of attention-seeking that wasted precious seconds in an emergency.
Law enforcement refocused, tracked the real suspect and, late the next day, arrested 25-year-old Tyler Robinson. Robinson now faces seven counts—including premeditated murder—and could see the death penalty if convicted.
Robinson’s defense has cried conflict of interest, alleging a county prosecutor’s daughter was on campus that day. Judge Graf found no merit yet but allowed limited witness review on the narrow question of potential bias.
Graf also barred video feeds of Robinson consulting with counsel—torpedoing any hope the accused could slip clandestine messages to friends outside courtroom walls.
No apologies. No second chances. Zinn’s sentence sends a clear message: America’s justice system won’t tolerate perjury, deviance or attacks on public safety.
