A Florida court allowed George Zimmerman to use a public defender in his alleged stalking case after he filed documents saying he’s $2.5 million in debt and has zero income.
Zimmerman is facing stalking accusations in his latest legal woes since his 2013 acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
Details of his finances were filed in a Seminole County court to support his request for a public defender. In the documents, he lists that he’s unemployed and has $0 in assets including cash, bank accounts and equity on property.
Zimmerman is accused of repeatedly threatening and harassing Dennis Warren between December 16 and December 25 of last year, the sheriff’s office said.
Warren is a private investigator who was hired by a production company that was working on a documentary about Martin’s life, according to CNN affiliate WKMG.
Deputies said Zimmerman called Warren 55 times, left 36 voicemails, texted him 67 times and sent 27 emails over a nine-day span,according to the affiliate.
This is just the latest in a lengthy list of legal issues for Zimmerman. He was a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida, in February 2012 when he shot and killed Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old.
In 911 calls that night, Zimmerman told a dispatcher about a “real suspicious guy” walking in the neighborhood. The dispatcher asked Zimmerman if he was following the person, and he responded “yes.”
“OK. We don’t need you to do that,” the dispatcher responded. Zimmerman continued to follow him, leading to the fatal shooting.
Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense when he shot Martin. After a public outcry, he was charged with second-degree murder. A jury found him not guilty in July 2013.
Two years after his acquittal, he was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and domestic violence with a weapon. Prosecutors decided not to file charges in the case after the alleged victim backed off her claims.
In yet another incident, he attempted to auction off the gun that he purportedly used to kill Martin, sparking outrage.