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SANFORD From outward appearances George and Shellie Zimmerman were a close and loving couple.

During his second-degree murder trial in 2013, they held hands as they walked down the courthouse hallway.

But shortly after the trial ended, Zimmerman moved out and Shellie Zimmerman filed for divorce.

On Tuesday, a Seminole County judge signed an order, making their divorce final.

"I'm honestly thinking I'm happy," Zimmerman said. "The divorce is concluded, and I can start a new chapter in my life."

It was a long time coming.

She filed for divorce on Sept. 5, 2013, and the next week, Lake Mary police raced to their house after she called 911, saying he had threatened her and her father with a gun and punched her father in the nose.

There was no arrest, but George Zimmerman later counter-sued for divorce.

The legal fight dragged on because the couple could not decide how to split what they hoped would be millions from a defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal Media LLC, according to Howard Iken, George Zimmerman's attorney.

George Zimmerman, 32, sued the network in 2012, accusing it of defaming him by reporting he used a racial slur during a 911 call to Sanford police the night he killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, and by airing an edited version of the recording.

Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Trayvon in 2013, and the following year a Sanford judge threw out the defamation lawsuit.

Zimmerman tried to revive it with an appeal but that failed, too.

A copy of the divorce settlement was filed this week.

Under its terms, George Zimmerman was to use any windfall from NBC to pay his $2.5 million bill to criminal defense attorney Mark O'Mara.

Zimmerman also was to pay Shellie Zimmerman $166,000.

The rest he would keep.

But there will be no NBC payout, so there were few assets to divide.

George Zimmerman will keep his 2008 Honda pickup and the family dog.

He's responsible for his debts.

Shellie Zimmerman, 28, is responsible for her nursing school loans and other debts.

If he ever gets money for his life story, he gets to keep the proceeds.

The same is true for Shellie Zimmerman.

"The Zimmerman affair has indeed ended in the proverbial whimper, not a bang," Kelly Sims, Shellie Zimmerman's attorney, wrote in an email.

They got married Nov. 17, 2007.

rstutzman@tribpub.com or 407-650-6394

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George and Shellie Zimmerman: Their divorce is final ...

The gun that George Zimmerman used to kill unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin is up for auction again after one company delisted the weapon from its site.

United Gun Group decided to post the gun after being contacted by Zimmerman. The company said in a statement that "as long as Mr. Zimmerman (or any other UGG member) is obeying the letter of the law, his personal firearm sale will be permitted on our network."

The original listing on GunBroker.com was removed within one hour of live bidding. Zimmerman, who was acquitted of second-degree murder, shot Martin on Feb. 26, 2012.

"The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin," Zimmerman wrote on GunBroker.com before the post was removed. "Many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm including The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. This is a piece of American History.

The Smithsonian Museum quickly rebutted this claim in a tweet, saying it "never expressed interest in collecting George Zimmerman's firearm."

The sale has also attracted the attention of Hillary Clinton, who tweeted a message of support to Martin's mother.

In an interview with FOX station WOGX-TV in Ocala, Florida, Zimmerman confirmed that he put the firearm used in the killing of Martin on the auction block.

"I'm a free American, I can do what I like with my possessions," he said, adding, "it's time to move past the firearm, and if I sell it and it sells, and I move past it."

The GunBroker.com auction went live at 11 a.m. ET today with bids starting at $5,000. Nearly 50,000 people visited the page before the listing was taken down.

It has been more than four years since the fatal confrontation took place in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. Martin, 17, was returning to a relative's house after leaving a convenience store when he was shot by Zimmerman.

Prosecutors accused Zimmerman of profiling Martin as a criminal, possibly because of his race, and following him with a loaded gun. Zimmerman maintained that he shot Martin in self-defense after he was knocked to the ground and Martin was banging his head against the pavement. Zimmerman has a Hispanic mother and a white father. Martin was black.

A Florida jury found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in July 2013.

The trial sparked rallies across the country and created a national debate over law enforcement deaths of black men and boys.

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Gun George Zimmerman Used to Kill Trayvon Martin Up for ...

An online gun auction website yanked GeorgeZimmerman'sad to sell the pistol he used to kill unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, saying it wanted no part in the deal, but a second site offered to post it.

A listing for the weapon was removed from the GunBroker.com site Thursday morning, minutes after the auction was to begin, as negative traffic about the sale exploded online. In a statement posted on its website, GunBroker.com said listings are user generated, and that the company reserved the right to reject listings at its discretion.

Zimmermannever contacted anyone at the site and no one there "has any relationship withZimmerman," the company wrote in its statement.

It added, "We want no part in the listing on our web site or in any of the publicity it is receiving."

Hours later, United Gun Group tweeted that it would postZimmerman'sad. The new link was posted, along with a statement fromZimmerman. However, the site apparently went down a few minutes later. The site calls itself a "social market place for the firearms community."

Critics called the planned auction an insensitive move to profit from the slaying.

Zimmermanhad told Orlando, Florida, TV station WOFL that the pistol was returned to him by the U.S. Justice Department, which took it after he was acquitted in Martin's 2012 shooting death.

The auction for the 9 mm Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol was to begin at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday and end 24 hours later.

Zimmerman'slisting said a portion of the proceeds would go toward fighting whatZimmermancalls violence by the Black Lives Matter movement against law enforcement officers, combatting anti-gun rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and ending the career of state attorney Angela Corey, who ledZimmerman'sprosecution.

The listing ended with a Latin phrase that translates as "if you want peace, prepare for war."

Zimmerman, now 32, has said he was defending himself when he killed Martin, 17, in a gated community near Orlando. Martin, who lived in Miami with his mother, was visiting his father at the time.

Zimmerman, who identifies as Hispanic, was acquitted in Martin's February 2012 shooting death. The case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later decided not to prosecuteZimmermanon civil rights charges

Lucy McBath, the mother of another black teenager shot by a white man during an argument at a Jacksonville convenience store in 2012, said the auction reflected a "deplorable lack of value for human life."

"I am deeply disappointed that the man who killed Trayvon Martin is trying to sell the very gun he used to cut that precious life short to raise money," McBath said in a written statement.

The slaying of her son, 17-year-old Jordan Davis, by Michael Dunn drew parallels at the time to the Zimmerman-Martin case. Dunn told police he had felt threatened by Davis. UnlikeZimmerman, Dunn was convicted of murder.

SinceZimmermanwas acquitted, he has been charged with assault based on complaints from two girlfriends. Both women later refused to press charges andZimmermanwasn't prosecuted. His estranged wife, ShellieZimmerman, also accused him of smashing her iPad during an argument days after she filed divorce papers. No charges were filed because of lack of evidence. They were divorced in January.

Orlando-based attorney Mark O'Mara has previously representedZimmerman. A receptionist in O'Mara's office said Thursday that he no longer representsZimmermanand had no comment.

Martin's parents declined to addressZimmerman'sactions in statements made through representatives.

Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, said through an attorney that she would rather focus on her work with the Trayvon Martin Foundation than respond to "Zimmerman'sactions."

Daryl Parks, whose firm represented the Martin family during the trial, is now chairman of Fulton's foundation. He says Fulton is pushing for policies that protect youth and address gun violence.

Fulton also founded the Circle of Mothers conference, a three-day event to help mothers who have "lost children or family members" to gun violence. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be keynote speaker at the event in Fort Lauderdale starting May 20.

In the auction listing,Zimmermancited strong interest from collectors including "The Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC."

Smithsonian spokesman John Gibbons denied any interest.

"The Smithsonian has never expressed an interest in collecting this firearm and has no intention of collecting or displaying this firearm," Gibbons said.

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George Zimmerman says he's selling gun used to shoot and ...

The top bidder for a time was one "Racist McShootface," although other bids from a "Tamir Rice" -- the name of a Cleveland child killed by police last year -- also appear in the list of offers for the weapon Zimmerman used in his 2012 Sanford, Florida, confrontation with 17-year-old Martin.

The "Racist McShootface" bids were deleted Friday morning from the United Gun Group auction site, but the trolling prompted one apparently serious bidder to call the trolls "losers" and express hope that their "children get murdered."

"Obviously the jury didn't think it was murder," the bidder identified as Brez Morrell posted of Zimmerman's 2013 acquittal. "He did nothing wrong."

The $65 million bid was later replaced by one from a user named Craig Bryant. It was unclear if that bid was serious.

Zimmerman -- seen by some as a national pariah and by others as a hero -- announced plans to sell the Kel-Tec PF-9 weapon on Wednesday. The 9mm pistol carries a suggested price of $356.36 on the manufacturer's website.

On Friday afternoon, United Gun Group posted a statement to Twitter expressing condolences to Martin's family, but appearing to support the continuation of Zimmerman's auction.

"Unless the law has been violated, it is the intention of United Gun Group to allow its members to use any of the available features," the statement read.

On February 26, 2012, Zimmerman called 911 to report a "suspicious person" in his neighborhood. Police told him not to get out of the car or approach Martin, but he disregarded the instructions and a confrontation ensued.

Zimmerman said Martin attacked him and he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense. The case shined a spotlight on Florida laws allowing the use of deadly force and on issues of race.

In his post introducing the auction, Zimmerman said he was "honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon."

He said some of the proceeds would be used to fight Black Lives Matter violence against police, and to "ensure the demise of (State's Attorney) Angela Correy's persecution career and Hillary Clinton's anti-firearm rhetoric."

Zimmerman had first tried to sell the pistol through a site called GunBroker, but the website sent out a message Thursday afternoon saying it had rejected the idea.

"Our site rules state that we reserve the right to reject listings at our sole discretion, and have done so with the Zimmerman listing," a GunBroker statement said. "We want no part in the listing on our web site or in any of the publicity it is receiving."

Zimmerman told CNN he moved the auction to another website, giving a different reason than GunBroker did.

"Unfortunately, (the site) was not prepared for the traffic and publicity surrounding the auction of my firearm," Zimmerman said in a text. "It has now been placed with another auction house."

That site, United Gun Group, put out a statement Thursday night saying the gun would not be sold on its site, but the auction appeared to proceed anyway.

After initially saying the site would not allow the auction, founder Todd Underwood said in an email to CNN that an official response would be released Friday.

"I recently received it back from the Department of Justice," he said. "They took it after my trial, after I was exonerated."

Zimmerman told the station he has had death threats since he put the gun up for sale.

"What I've decided to do is not cower," he said. "I'm a free American. I can do what I want with my possessions."

In posting the weapon for auction, Zimmerman described the weapon as a "piece of American History."

"The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012," Zimmerman apparently wrote in the posts.

"The pistol currently has the case number written on it in silver permanent marker," he wrote.

Zimmerman said museums such as the Smithsonian Institution have "expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm."

But the Washington-based Smithsonian denied it has any interest in the weapon.

"We have never expressed interest in collecting George Zimmerman's firearm, and have no plans to ever collect or display it in any museums," it said in a statement.

Family attorney Benjamin Crump told CNN's "New Day" Friday that Zimmerman "keeps appearing to reopen the wounds again and again."

"It's like he is shooting and killing Trayvon all over again four years later with this attempt to auction off this gun like it's some kind of trophy," Crump said. "I mean, it's offensive, it's outrageous and it's insulting."

The gun sale is not Zimmerman's first effort at auction.

CNN's Elan Bird, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Shawn Nottingham, Polo Sandoval, Justin Lear and Ralph Ellis contributed to this report.

Excerpt from:
George Zimmerman's gun may still be up for auction - cnn.com

Sanford, Fla., police Officer Timothy Smith holds up the gun that was used to kill Trayvon Martin, while testifying on June 28, 2013, the 15th day of George Zimmerman's murder trial. Zimmerman has listed the gun for sale online. Pool/Getty Images hide caption

Sanford, Fla., police Officer Timothy Smith holds up the gun that was used to kill Trayvon Martin, while testifying on June 28, 2013, the 15th day of George Zimmerman's murder trial. Zimmerman has listed the gun for sale online.

Updated 6:15 p.m. ET

George Zimmerman, who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 and was acquitted of all charges in the case, said Thursday that he was auctioning off the gun that he says he used in that incident.

The 9 mm pistol was initially listed for sale on GunBroker.com, posted by user "GZ1776." By Thursday afternoon, however, the listing for the auction, which was supposed to begin at 11 a.m., was no longer active.

In a statement on GunBroker.com, the company wrote that it reserves "the right to reject listings at our sole discretion, and have done so with the Zimmerman listing. We want no part in the listing on our web site or in any of the publicity it is receiving."

The statement also said:

"Late last night, George Zimmerman created a listing on our web site for the gun from the Trayvon Martin case four years ago. Mr. Zimmerman alerted news organizations that began reporting on the listing first thing this morning.

"Listings on the GunBroker.com web site are user-generated, exactly like social media posts. Mr. Zimmerman never contacted anyone at GunBroker.com prior to or after the listing was created and no one at GunBroker.com has any relationship with Zimmerman."

NPR's Greg Allen reports that the website pulled Zimmerman's Kel-Tec pistol before the auction began. Greg adds that Zimmerman told the Orlando Sentinel that the website was not "prepared for the traffic and publicity surrounding the auction of my firearm."

He then listed the gun for sale with another website, UnitedGunGroup.com, which the website confirmed on Twitter. That link is also not functioning.

"The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012," the original listing on GunBroker.com stated. It went on to say the gun is fully functional and had been returned to Zimmerman by the Department of Justice.

It concluded:

"I am proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds will be used to: fight [Black Lives Matter] violence against Law Enforcement officers, ensure the demise of Angela [Corey's] persecution career and Hillary Clinton's anti-firearm rhetoric. Now is your opportunity to own a piece of American History. Good Luck. Your friend, George M. Zimmerman ~Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum~ "

Angela Corey was the attorney leading the case against Zimmerman, who was charged with murder and manslaughter but acquitted after he claimed self-defense. Si vis pacem para bellum is Latin for "If you want peace, prepare for war."

In this photo provided by the Seminole County Sheriff`s Office, George Zimmerman poses for a mug shot after being arrested and booked into jail at the John Polk Correctional Facility Jan. 9, 2015, in Sanford, Fla. Florida officials reported that Zimmerman had been charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence with a weapon. Getty Images hide caption

Zimmerman spoke with Fox 35 Orlando, a local news station, and confirmed that he is auctioning off the gun he says was used to shoot and kill Martin.

He told the news station that he has received death threats, both before and after posting the listing.

"What I've decided to do is not cower," he told Fox 35 Orlando. "I'm a free American. I can do what I want with my possessions."

The station also spoke with an attorney for Martin's family, who said the Trayvon Martin Foundation is "laser focused" on ending gun violence and "has no comments on the actions of that person."

The auction was set to begin Thursday at 11 a.m., with a starting price of $5,000.

The site on which the gun was listed first, GunBroker.com, has made headlines in relation to the Martin case before. In 2012, shooting targets showing a hooded figure holding Skittles and iced tea the items Martin was carrying the night he died were reportedly advertised on the website.

GunBroker.com told Reuters the ads were removed as soon as the company was aware of them.

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George Zimmerman Auctioning Off Gun He Used To Kill ...