George Zimmerman, the self-appointed neighborhood watchman who rose to infamy in 2012 after killing unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has avoided jail once again, this time for stalking.
According to ABC News, the 35-year-old’s lawyer entered a no contest plea, which allows the defendant to not admit guilt, and a proper conviction is withheld if the conditions of the agreement are met. Zimmerman will serve one-year probation to rectify a misdemeanor stalking charge.
Reportedly Zimmerman sent threatening messages to private investigator Dennis Warren who was hired by the director of a mini-series about Trayvon Martin’s life. Warren said he doesn’t think he’ll be able to go an entire year without violating his probation.
“He can’t stay away from trouble. He’s toxic,” Warren said.
Seminole County Judge Mark Herr urged Zimmerman’s lawyer, who wasn’t in court, to realize words matter. “Please counsel him,” the judge told his attorney, Zahra Umansky. “Words do matter.”
Warren read a victim impact statement in court detailing the threats Zimmerman made against him and his wife. He said Zimmerman instructed him to stop his investigation and also knew intimate details such as where he was traveling to and what airline, forcing him to get extra security for his house.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Zimmerman is not to have any contact with Warren or his wife for a decade. Since his 2012 acquittal in the murder of Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman has had several run-ins with the law, two of which were domestic aggravated assault cases which were later dropped.
“We would like to not have to see his name for a while,” Judge Herr said.
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