The Florida man who shot at George Zimmerman past year was found guilty in court earlier today.
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Police asserted in their arrest affidavit for Apperson that he seemed to have a fixation on Zimmerman, who claimed to have acted in self-defence when he shot Martin, a high school student walking through the community after stopping at a convenience store.
Zimmerman told the jury that a driver was flashing his lights and honking his horn before confronting him at an intersection on Lake Mary Boulevard, Florida, where they exchanged words.
“They understood that this case is about Matthew Apperson not about George Zimmerman”, said Stewart Stone, the Assistant State Attorney who prosecuted the case against Matthew Apperson. Prosecutor Stewart Stone quickly noted that Zimmerman’s vehicle had tinted windows. But Apperson later admitted under oath if Zimmerman did pull out a gun, he didn’t see it.
The two had bad blood before the May 2015 encounter.
His charges stemmed from a 2015 road-rage incident involving Zimmerman on Lake Mary Boulevard. The case didn’t go to trial.
After a week of heated testimony, the six-person jury sent just one question to the judge during deliberations. Apperson was found guilty on Friday of trying to kill Zimmerman, the man acquitted of murder after he shot and killed black teenager Trayvon Martin. He’s also been the aggressor on social media with posts about Martin and President Barack Obama.
Apperson’s sentencing is set for October 17.
Stone said Apperson’s behavior fails to meet the standard of self defense because he did not act in a reasonable, prudent or cautious manner prior to firing. Apperson had allegedly told Zimmerman that he was wrong to kill Trayvon, and Zimmerman soon began threatening and following him.
“You associated Mr. Apperson with the Black Lives Matter movement, is that correct?” defense attorney LaFay asked Wednesday.
According to The Orlando Sentinel, he said, “George Zimmerman is no boy scout – I get that, and you get that”. Martin was black, and Zimmerman identifies as Hispanic.
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Apperson attorney Michael LeFay asked: “And when you said that, Mr. Apperson, what kind of effect did that have on Mr. Zimmerman?”
