Two years ago, George Zimmerman was acquitted on a murder charge in the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. At the time, some thought Zimmerman would keep a low profile.
He hasn’t.
Zimmerman can barely go more than a few months without making the news again – for more brushes with the law, for his artwork or – most recently – for getting shot at on a Florida road.
Here’s a breakdown of Zimmerman’s time in the public spotlight since Martin’s death:
July 2013 – Zimmerman acquitted
A Florida jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder in Martin’s killing in February 2012. Brother Robert Zimmerman Jr. told CNN that George Zimmerman “is going to be looking around his shoulder for the rest of his life.”
July 2013: Zimmerman helps rescue family
His seclusion didn’t last long. Four days after his acquittal, Zimmerman and another man helped a family get out of an overturned SUV in Florida, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said.
“They got everyone out of the car,” a 911 caller reported. About a minute later, the caller said, it looked like the vehicle was catching fire.
July 2013: Zimmerman stopped for speeding
A few weeks after his acquittal, Zimmerman was pulled over for speeding in Forney, Texas.
Zimmerman was apparently traveling with a gun. Dashcam video showed him and a police officer talking briefly before the officer told him to shut his glove compartment
“Don’t play with your firearm, OK?” the officer said. Zimmerman was given a warning.
August 2013: Zimmerman’s wife pleads guilty to perjury
Shellie Zimmerman pleaded guilty to perjury after claiming her family was indigent during a bond hearing for her husband. Prosecutors said the family actually had about $135,000 at the time.
She was sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.
August 2013: Zimmerman visits maker of gun used to shoot Martin
Zimmerman visited gun manufacturer Kel-Tec looking for a shotgun, celebrity gossip site TMZ reported. Kel-Tec also makes the 9 mm PF-9 – the gun he used to shoot Martin, TMZ said.
Zimmerman’s parents had said the family has received many death threats after his acquittal.
September 2013: Zimmerman’s wife files for divorce
Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce as “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken,” the divorce petition stated.
She wanted an “equitable distribution” of all assets the couple acquired during the marriage, which could include some of the money Zimmerman’s defense team raised through online donations. She also wanted custody of the family’s two dogs, a Rottweiler named Oso and a mutt named Leroy.
November 2013: Zimmerman charged with felony assault
George Zimmerman was charged with felony aggravated assault after allegedly pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend. He was also charged with two misdemeanors – domestic violence battery and criminal mischief – in connection with the same incident.
Samantha Scheibe said that after an argument, Zimmerman broke a table with a shotgun, then pointed the gun at her “for a minute.”
On a 911 call recording, a woman tells authorities: “He’s inside my house breaking all my (things) because I asked him to leave.”
December 2013: Zimmerman’s girlfriend wants the case dropped
Scheibe asked a judge to lift an order that blocked her from seeing Zimmerman and said she didn’t want charges filed against him.
“I am not afraid of George in any manner and I want to be with him,” she said in a court document.
January 2014: Zimmerman slams prosecutor in a painting
After selling his first painting on eBay for a whopping $100,000, Zimmerman showcased another piece of artwork: this one ripping Angela Corey, who was the special prosecutor during his case.
The painting, a swirl of bright red and yellow, shows Corey with her fingers pinched.
The caption, in all caps, says, “I have this much respect for the American judicial system - Angie C.”
February 2014: Zimmerman wants to fight in celebrity boxing
Perhaps a clue that he now saw himself as a celebrity, Zimmerman said he wanted to fight in a Celebrity Boxing match.
“The news has been out for an hour, and my email is overloaded with 8,000 people wanting to fight George,” Celebrity Boxing owner Damon Feldman said.
For a while, rapper DMX’s camp was in talks about fighting Zimmerman.
“DMX has promised to ‘beat his ass,’ but no contract or paperwork has been signed or agreed to yet,” DMX spokesman Domenick Nati said.
But days later, Feldman said the fight was called off. According to the Los Angeles Times, the promoter said Zimmerman was “the wrong person to put in the ring.”
March 2014: Zimmerman’s parents sue Roseanne Barr
Robert and Gladys Zimmerman filed a lawsuit against comedian and actress Roseanne Barr, accusing her of posting “an open and obvious call for vigilante justice” when she tweeted the family’s home address to 110,000 followers
Barr violated Twitter’s rules banning tweets with unauthorized personal information, the lawsuit said. The suit did not indicate exactly how much the Zimmermans were asking for in damages.
January 2015: Zimmerman arrested on suspicion of domestic violence
Zimmerman allegedly threw a wine bottle at a girlfriend, his lawyer Don West said.
Police first learned about the allegation after coming “in contact with the (alleged) victim at a traffic stop,” Lake Mary, Florida, police spokeswoman Bianca Gillett said.
Gillett said the woman was not the same girlfriend who accused Zimmerman of assault in 2013, Samantha Scheibe.
“It’s clear he hasn’t been very lucky with the ladies the last few months,” West said of his client.
January 2015: Charges dropped
Just like in 2013, a prosecutor chose not to press formal assault charges against Zimmerman after the alleged victim backed off her accusations.
“While it clear that the officers had probable cause to arrest Mr. Zimmerman, which was affirmed by the circuit court judge at initial appearances, the subsequent recantation by the (alleged) victim of her initial statement along with new documents provided by the victim and her attorney precludes my office from proceeding further,” Florida State Attorney Phil Archer said.
February 2015: Zimmerman avoids civil rights charges
The U.S. Justice Department said no civil rights charges will be brought against Zimmerman in Martin’s death, saying there was not enough evidence.
“Though a comprehensive investigation found that the high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution cannot be met under the circumstances here, this young man’s premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.
March 2015: Zimmerman blames Obama for racial divide
Zimmerman accused President Barack Obama of fueling racial tensions, citing the President’s March 2012 remarks in which he said, “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon.
“To me, that was clearly a dereliction of duty, pitting Americans against each other solely based on race,” Zimmerman said in a video posted on his attorneys’ website.
May 2015: Zimmerman shot at
Authorities are still trying to sort out what led up to a bullet flying through Zimmerman’s truck. Zimmerman was not shot, but was hit with broken glass.
Zimmerman attorney Don West described the incident in Lake Mary, Florida, as “one-sided road rage.” He said a man driving behind his client honked his horn and yelled obscenities at him.
But an attorney for Matthew Apperson, the other man involved in the incident, said Apperson acted in self-defense after Zimmerman allegedly waved his gun. (West said his client did not brandish a gun.)
“We’re very confident this will be deemed self-defense,” said Mark NeJame, Apperson’s attorney. “What happened today, he was legally justified to do.”
CNN’s Vivian Kuo, Janet DiGiacomo, Greg Botelho and Stephanie Gallman contributed to this report.
