George Zimmerman was recently acquitted of murder charges in the death of Trayvon Martin. A Florida jury of 6 women found Zimmerman not guilty on Saturday. 29 year old George Zimmerman, who self identifies as a Hispanic, had shot an unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. Since Zimmerman’s acquittal, riots have been happening and thousands of people are in the streets protesting the acquittal as a perceived flaw in the justice system, or as institutionalized racism.
Zimmerman’s defense attorney called upon witnesses John Donnelly and his wife Leanne Benjamin. The couple first met and knew Zimmerman in 2004 when he and a black friend first opened an insurance office near where Leanne Benjamin worked. The couple became friends with Zimmerman. At this time, they are able to relate things he had told them. While having dinner with them, Zimmerman was quoted as saying that he would like to go to law school, and help other people like himself.
John Donnelly commented that George Zimmerman was deeply hurt by the prosecutors’ portrayal of him as a racist vigilante who killed Trayvon Martin just because he was black. George Zimmerman was perceived as a zealot and was only one credit away from getting a degree in criminal justice, but was kicked out of school. He was an insurance investigator with an interest in law and law enforcement. According to Leanne Benjamin, “Everybody said he was a cop-wannabe but he’s interested in law, he sees it as a potential path forward to help other people like himself.” According to Reuters, Zimmerman’s defense attorney Mark O’Mara commented, “He wanted to be a cop for a while, but he’s talked about going to law school. He has a real interest in the law and prosecuting appropriately, not like what he got, is something he’s very interested in. I will not be surprised if he ends up in criminal law. His dad was a judge, and he wants to be a prosecutor or a lawyer.”
George Zimmerman’s friends spoke to Reuters and are angry at the turn of events after the shooting and trial. Jorge Rodriguez commented, “I knew the man was innocent the whole time.” The aftermath of the trial has been hard on George Zimmerman and his family. His brother Robert goes out into public disguised wearing bulletproof vests because of death threats. Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara agreed that life would never be the same after the trial.
Currently there are cities across the country with hundreds of protesters asking for more to be done on the matter. Trayvon Martin’s family is also considering a wrongful death civil suit.