George Zimmerman Will Not Be Charged in Domestic Dispute Arrest
Florida prosecutors have decided not to pursue the state's case against George Zimmerman, who was arrested after a November domestic dispute with his girlfriend and charged with aggravated assault, domestic violence battery and criminal mischief.
Zimmerman's girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe, recanted her accusations against him two days ago, saying she wants "to be with George." She now claims that he never pointed a gun at her and that she "misspoke" in her statements to the police and 911 operators that suggested otherwise.
In a statement, state attorney Phil Archer blamed the lack of cooperation from Scheibe for the decision, saying: "taking into account the conflicting statements about what occurred, the failure to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, and a lack of any other corroborating evidence or witnesses, there is no reasonable likelihood of successful prosecution."
Zimmerman's estranged wife, Shellie, called 911 in September to report that he and her father were engaged in a physical confrontation and that Zimmerman had a gun. She later denied that Zimmerman had a gun, and she and her father ultimately decided not to press charges.
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Zimmerman's lawyer (and anti-gun tweeter), Jayne Weintraub, told the AP: "I am pleased that I was able to present credible evidence to reasonable prosecutors who took the time to listen and that justice prevailed ... This demonstrates how great our system is."
To the Orlando Sentinel, Weintraub said of her client: "He's young, he's smart and he's got his whole life ahead of him."
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/national/2013/12/george-zimmerman-will-not-be-charged-domestic-dispute-arrest/356049/
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