George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, is now in a new batch of hot water: misdemeanor charges for supposedly stalking a private investigator connected with an upcoming Trayvon Martin documentary.
Private investigator Dennis Warren was apparently hired to find interview subjects for Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, a documentary series which will endeavor to chronicle the life and death of the black teen who was fatally shot by Zimmerman, who was acting as a volunteer neighborhood watch captain in 2012.
Zimmerman was contacted by Warren in September 2017, who told him how he could reach the Michael Gasparro, the executive producer of the documentary series. When Zimmerman apparently called Gasparro, the two discussed the series and what it would involve.
Zimmerman then supposedly texted Gasparro in December, “extremely agitated” that Warren had contacted his uncle for an interview. One of the texts included a threat to feed Warren to an alligator:
“[Warren] is a [expletive] WHO BOTHERED MY UNCLE IN HIS HOME. Local OR former law officer He’s well on his way to the inside of a gator as well. 10-4?”
In the two weeks preceding Christmas, Warren apparently received 55 phone calls, 67 text messages, 36 voicemails and 27 emails from Zimmerman, according to statements Warren made to investigators.
Zimmerman texted Warren, saying, “I’ll see you before you realize it,” and even threatened to “beat Jay-Z,” who is one of the producers on the film. When Warren asked Zimmerman to stop texting, Zimmerman apparently refused and invited Warren to “pursue charges” — which he did.
Last week, Zimmerman was issued a summons from theState Attorney’s Office for Seminole County, Florida, and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 30.
In a disturbing reference to his shooting of Martin, Zimmerman told The Blast, “I know how to handle people who f**k with me, I have since February 2012.”
Zimmerman was charged with a felony aggravated assault in 2013 for supposedly pointing a shotgun at his then-girlfriend, and was arrested in 2015 for throwing a wine bottle at another girlfriend. In both cases, the charges were dropped.