FEBRUARY 26: Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by a volunteer neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, in Sanford, Florida. The shooter was not immediately charged with a crime, enraging people worldwide.
FEBRUARY 26: George Zimmerman is seen here in a police mug shot provided by the Orange County Jail, via The Miami Herald, from a 2005 arrest. Zimmerman is the neighborhood watch captain who shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in a gated community.
MARCH 16: Eight disturbing 911 audio tapes were released by Florida law enforcement. The tapes indicate a struggle between Martin and his shooter, George Zimmerman. Experts later concluded that the voice heard screaming on the tapes belonged to Martin, not Zimmerman.
MARCH 16: Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton speak out during a news conference in Orlando. Martin told reporters that he feels his family has been “betrayed” by the police investigating his son’s death.
MARCH 20: Tallahassee criminal defense attorney Devron Brown talks with Florida Governor Rick Scott regarding the fatal shooting at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.
MARCH 20: Attorney Benjamin Crump, holding cell phone records and the police report, speaks with the media about his client’s son, Trayvon Martin. Mr. Crump feels that the teenager’s cell phone records contradict Mr. Zimmerman’s account of what happened in the moments before he was shot to death. The Justice Department and the FBI opened an investigation into the death of the Black teenager, and the local state attorney announced that he had asked a grand jury to investigate.
MARCH 21: Supporters of Trayvon Martin rally in Union Square during a Million Hoodie March in New York City.
MARCH 21: Supporters of Trayvon Martin rally in Union Square during a Million Hoodie March in Manhattan. Thousands of protesters turned out to demonstrate against the killing of the Black unarmed teenager by a White neighborhood watch captain. The protesters marched through the streets after holding a large rally in Union Square.
MARCH 21: Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton address supporters at a Million Hoodies March in New York City. Fulton told the crowd: “My heart is in pain, but to see the support of all of you really makes a difference. This is not a Black and White thing — this is about a right or wrong thing.”
MARCH 22: Sanford resident Cindy Philemon cries during a town hall meeting with civil rights leaders shortly after the tragic shooting.
MARCH 22: Civil rights leaders and residents of the city of Sanford attend a town hall meeting to discuss the death of young Trayvon Martin.
MARCH 22: Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee announced he would stepping down from his position. “I must temporarily remove myself from the position as police chief for the city of Sanford,” said Lee. “I do this in the hopes of restoring some semblance of calm to a city which has been in turmoil for several weeks.”
March 25: Celebrities show their support for the cause on social media by uploading images of themselves in hoodies. Here, LeBron James tweets a picture of his team, the Miami Heat.
MARCH 26: Senator Kevin Parker, Senator Bill Perkins and Senator Eric Adams wear hooded sweatshirts during session in the Senate Chamber in Albany, N.Y. The senators wore the sweatshirts, like many others around the nation, demonstrating their support.
MARCH 26: Rev. Al Sharpton, Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin and Rev. Jesse Jackson attend a community forum on the killing of Trayvon Martin at Macedonia Baptist Church in Eatonville, Florida.
MARCH 28: Trayvon Martin’s parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin talk to Washington Post editors and reporters about their case.
APRIL 2: In this image taken from video at the Sanford Police Department, George Zimmerman, in red jacket, is escorted into the police station in handcuffs on February 26, the night he fatally shot Trayvon Martin.
APRIL 9: Jahvaris Fulton breaks his silence regarding the death of his kid brother, Trayvon. He told People magazine: “We were like best friends. During the beginning stages of this ordeal, I’d go online to see what people were saying. A lot of the content was really bad. It was hurtful. He really loved his life. And now I can’t believe he’s gone.”
APRIL 10: Florida State Attorney Angela Corey announced she would not be taking the case before a grand jury – indicating that first-degree murder charges against George Zimmerman would not be an option. “We are not surprised by this announcement,” said Benjamin Crump, the Martin family attorney. “In fact, we are hopeful that a decision will be reached very soon to arrest George Zimmerman and give Trayvon Martin’s family the simple justice they have been seeking all along.”
APRIL 10: George Zimmerman’s attorneys, Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, speak with the media about having lost contact with their client. At the press conference, Sonner and Uhrig announced that they were no longer going to represent Zimmerman. “He won’t even give me a collect call,” said Sonner.
APRIL 11: Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin listen to questions from the media at a press conference. Fulton tweeted: “We’re on pins and needles waiting for Ms. Corey’s decision but we’re praying that justice will prevail. He sits high and looks low #GODisincontrol.”
APRIL 11: The family of the slain teenager listen to Rev. Al Sharpton deliver remarks to the media. “Trayvon Martin committed no crime,” said Sharpton. “He had no weapon and he had every legal right to be where he was. The rush to judgment was those that moved against him, said he was suspicious, and took his life.”
APRIL 11: Tracy Martin, Jahvaris Fulton and Sybrina Fulton listen to questions from the media during a press conference in Washington, D.C. where they called for justice and the arrest of George Zimmerman.
APRIL 11: State Attorney Angela Corey holds a news conference to announce that second-degree murder charges were filed against George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin shooting. Corey told reporters: “We did not come to this decision lightly. We don’t prosecute by public pressure or by public petition. We work tirelessly for our victims, all our victims. It doesn’t have to do with race.”
April 11: George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has been taken into police custody. This mugshot was taken 45 days after the tragic incident which left the unarmed teenager dead in Sanford, Florida. Leading up to his arrest, Zimmerman inexplicably traveled out of state and avoided communication with his two attorneys. He has also launched a website to raise money for his defense. His new attorney says he will plead not guilty.
APRIL 11: Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, spoke with the media after the announcement: “We simply wanted an arrest; we wanted nothing more, nothing less. We just wanted an arrest, and we got it and I say thank you, thank you Lord, thank you Jesus.”
April 12: George Zimmerman stands with his attorney Mark O’Mara, and a Seminole County Deputy during a court hearing in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of the 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
April 16: Tracy Martin, Sybrina Fulton and Jahvaris Fulton visit BET’s 106 & Park at BET Studios in New York City.
April 22: George Zimmerman, walks out of the intake building at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility with an unidentified man, in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman posted bail on a $150,000 bond on a second degree murder charge in the February shooting death of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin In Sanford, Fla.
June 1: A Florida judge revokes George Zimmerman’s bond after learning he lied to the court about finances. The judge also learns that Zimmerman holds two passports and is worried that he may leave the country. Zimmerman heads back to jail on June 3, 2012.
June 12: Shellie, George Zimmerman’s wife, is arrested and charged with perjury. She alledgely lied about her husband’s finances. She is booked and released on $1,000 bond.
July 6: After spending nearly a month in jail for lying about his personal finances and possession of two passports, Zimmerman is ganted $1M bond. This time, Zimmerman is forced to check in with the Florida pre-trial release department every 48-hours in addition to abstaining from alcohol, criminal activity and contact with Trayvon Martin’s family. Zimmerman is also forbidden from obtaining another passport and he must stay away from the Orlando-Sandford airport. He will also not be allowed to leave Seminole County without special authorization. Furthermore, Judge Lester will place Zimmerman under electronic monitoring at his own expense.
July 16: An unidentified woman who used to be close to George Zimmerman alerts investigators that the shooter and his family were proud racists. The woman also claims that she was molested by Zimmerman for more than 10 years. “It was in front of everybody and I don’t know how I didn’t say anything,” she cried. “I just didn’t know any better.”
October 17: Circuit Judge Debra Nelson announces that George Zimmerman’s long awaited second-degree murder trial will take place on June 10, 2013. However, Zimmerman’s defense attorneys don’t believe they will be ready in time for the trial.
February 5, 2013: A Florida judge denies George Zimmerman’s request to delay his impending murder trial.
JUNE 20: Jurors are selected to decide George Zimmerman’s fate — all six of them are women, and five of the six are White. Four alternates are also chosen, all of them White. The jury is sequestered during the trial.
JUNE 24: Opening statements begin in the high-profile trial. The prosecution recites George Zimmerman’s obscenities about Trayvon Martin, and defense attorney Don West makes a knock-knock joke widely considered in poor taste.
JUNE 26: Nineteen-year-old Rachel Jeantel, the last person to speak to Trayvon Martin alive, testified that her friend told her about a “creepy-ass cracker” following him; she also said she heard the beginning of the scuffle that led to Trayvon’s death. Jeantel’s testimony, however, is clouded by ugly social media chatter about her appearance and her “attitude.”
JULY 11: Although Zimmerman is on trial for second-degree murder, Judge Debra Nelson rules that jurors can opt to convict him on the lesser charge of manslaughter, meaning that Zimmerman had no intention of killing Trayvon Martin but acted “with utter disregard” toward the teenager’s safety.
JULY 13: Two days after going into deliberations, the all-female completely acquits George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, leading to an outcry on social media and worries about unrest in Florida. “Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered,” Trayvon’s father Tracy Martin tweets.
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