Less than two months after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder charges in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman finds himself headed to court again after his wife Shellie filed divorce papers. Shellie, who remained by Zimmerman’s trial throughout his arrest and trial, is no longer living with Zimmerman.
According to a statement made by Shellie’s lawyer, she wants to end the marriage because of “disappointment.” After Zimmerman was arrested and Shellie herself was arrested on perjury charges for lying about the couple’s financial situation, the couple’s relationship went downhill. “The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken,” the divorce pleading says.
Zimmerman’s brother Robert confirmed that Shellie filed for divorce on Twitter:
According to Shellie's atty Kelly Sims – Shellie is preparing to file 4 divorce. Docs have not yet been filed in Seminole Cty. Pray 4 them.
— Robert Zimmerman JR (@rzimmermanjr) September 5, 2013
The news that Shellie wants to end the marriage doesn’t come as too much of a shock after she told “Good Morning America” that she wasn’t sure whether things would work out last week. “I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve gone to bed or laid awake at night saying, ‘I wish to God that these circumstances had been different,'” Shellie said. Shellie also says that the couple lived in “terror” during the months following her husband’s arrest.
The final straw seemed to be when Zimmerman wasn’t supportive of Shellie when she faced perjury charges. She said that she felt like she was “hung out to dry,” plus Zimmerman was a no-show during her trial that concluded last week. Shellie pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor perjury charge and was sentenced to a year of probation.
In the divorce papers, Shellie has asked for Zimmerman to provide her with life assurance, grant her the custody of their two dogs and wants their debts and assets to be split equally. The Zimmermans have more than $90,000 in debt.