Prior to 2012, whenever people heard the word “Zimmer,” they associated it with Hans Zimmer—you know, the composer behind Interstellar and Inception. But on the night of February 26th, when 28-year-old George Zimmerman shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, all of that changed.
The issue became an overnight national sensation, but was especially contentious in Florida. The fact that Zimmerman killed an African American citizen didn’t help—especially considering the state’s contentious racial politics.
The Crime
Trayvon Martin was a high school student who was roaming about in a neighborhood in the dead of the night. The same night, George Zimmerman called 911 and reported a “suspicious person.” The 911 call operator told him to stay put in his SUV and wait. Zimmerman didn’t wait—shots were fired.
Neighbors called law enforcement agencies, and Zimmerman confessed to shooting Martin. But Zimmerman also claimed he had acted in self-defense. One of the police reports also showed that Zimmerman had been bleeding when he had been apprehended.
Several things happened after the arrest: the country was divided into two factions. One supported Martin’s parents—believing that Zimmerman had committed cold blooded murder.
The other faction supported Zimmerman—who claimed that he had shot Martin after Martin had threatened to kill his son. Nobody ever found out what really happened that night.
The Sentence
Initially, Zimmerman wasn’t charged with a crime due to insufficient evidence. However, the case was reopened several times, and Zimmerman was finally handed a bail amount of $150,000 by a Florida judge. That was in April. Sometime later the same year, in June 2012, another Florida judge revoked the earlier bail amount and set an even higher amount: $1 million. Zimmerman opted for a bail bond, and got out of jail by paying 10% of the full amount.
But…
The Story Doesn’t End There
George Zimmerman was a man who refused to learn from his mistakes. In 2013, he was apprehended yet again for a domestic violence charge, and once more had to deal with a $9,000 bail amount.
Did Florida just hate this man, or was he unwilling to act like a responsible citizen? Spoiler: it was the latter. Despite knowing that he was wading in deep waters, Zimmerman continued to possess weapons and terrorize his girlfriend. Repeat felonies like these and recurrent belligerent behavior leads to tons of legal problems.
And that’s exactly what Florida citizens should learn from the Zimmerman case: when in court, do as the court mandates.
Reaching Out to Gainesville Bail Bondsmen
If there was one wise thing that Zimmerman did, it was this: posting a bond against his $1 million bail amount by paying only 10% as the premium. You too can get a loved one out of jail without bearing any financial burden. Get in touch with Florida-based Lee Calhoun Bail Bonds to know more.