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- May 23, 2012
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Poetic Justice
George Zimmerman, the Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed Florida teenager last year, wears a disguise and a bulletproof vest whenever he is in public, his attorney said.
"He never feels safe," Mark OMara, his lawyer, told FoxNews.com. "His security has been cut and he stays inside his secure location all day long due to threats."
As a result of the confinement, Zimmerman's health has taken a turn for the worse, OMara said. He gained about 100 pounds in six months and is stressed about the threats and his upcoming murder trial, which is set to begin on June 10.
"If I was confined to four rooms all day I bet Id gain a lot of weight, too," O'Mara said.
Last year, Zimmerman spotted Trayvon Martin walking through his neighborhood, a gated community, in Sanford, Fla. Martin was walking back to a house he was staying at in the community after a trip to a convenience store.
Zimmerman started to follow him because he thought he looked suspicious. Despite a police dispatcher telling him "you don't have to do that," Zimmerman got out of his truck to pursue Martin.
They got into a fight and Martin was shot.
Zimmerman was eventually charged with second-degree murder but has pleaded not guilty. He says Martin attacked him and that he shot the teen in self-defense.
The incident drew national attention that resulted in death threats against Zimmerman for what was seen by some an act of racial profiling. Martin is black.
O'Mara said he talks with Zimmerman every day. He said the couple relies on donations to survive since neither one can hold down a job.
He said Zimmerman, who previously aspired to be a judge, looks forward to the trial to begin, but has been disenfranchised about the legal proceedings thus far.
To be sure, even if his client is acquitted, OMara said he will likely never feel safe in his hometown or Florida.
"He'd have to go somewhere where nobody knows him," O'Mara said.
Read more: George Zimmerman wears bulletproof vest in public, lawyer says | Fox News
George Zimmerman, the Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed Florida teenager last year, wears a disguise and a bulletproof vest whenever he is in public, his attorney said.
"He never feels safe," Mark OMara, his lawyer, told FoxNews.com. "His security has been cut and he stays inside his secure location all day long due to threats."
As a result of the confinement, Zimmerman's health has taken a turn for the worse, OMara said. He gained about 100 pounds in six months and is stressed about the threats and his upcoming murder trial, which is set to begin on June 10.
"If I was confined to four rooms all day I bet Id gain a lot of weight, too," O'Mara said.
Last year, Zimmerman spotted Trayvon Martin walking through his neighborhood, a gated community, in Sanford, Fla. Martin was walking back to a house he was staying at in the community after a trip to a convenience store.
Zimmerman started to follow him because he thought he looked suspicious. Despite a police dispatcher telling him "you don't have to do that," Zimmerman got out of his truck to pursue Martin.
They got into a fight and Martin was shot.
Zimmerman was eventually charged with second-degree murder but has pleaded not guilty. He says Martin attacked him and that he shot the teen in self-defense.
The incident drew national attention that resulted in death threats against Zimmerman for what was seen by some an act of racial profiling. Martin is black.
O'Mara said he talks with Zimmerman every day. He said the couple relies on donations to survive since neither one can hold down a job.
He said Zimmerman, who previously aspired to be a judge, looks forward to the trial to begin, but has been disenfranchised about the legal proceedings thus far.
To be sure, even if his client is acquitted, OMara said he will likely never feel safe in his hometown or Florida.
"He'd have to go somewhere where nobody knows him," O'Mara said.
Read more: George Zimmerman wears bulletproof vest in public, lawyer says | Fox News
