Trayvon Martin one year later: Has anything changed?

The hooded 17-year-old was shot dead on Feb. 26, 2012, and the killing captured the nation's attention. What's happening now?

People stand together on Feb. 9 in honor of Trayvon Martin during a "March for Peace" in Miami.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A year ago Tuesday — on the evening of Feb. 26, 2012 — George Zimmerman confronted an unarmed 17-year-old named Trayvon Martin in an Orlando-area gated community, and shot him dead. Zimmerman was not arrested for a month and a half, relying on Florida's permissive "stand your ground" law, but a national public outcry prompted Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to appoint a special prosecutor, Angela Corey, to the case; she charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder on April 11. (See The Week's timeline of events.) At the request of Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, there are no marches or speeches planned for Tuesday in Sanford, the town where Martin was shot while walking back to his father's place from a convenience store with a packet of Skittles and bottled iced tea. Martin and Fulton will instead attend a vigil in New York City. Martin's violent death sparked a national conversation on gun violence, gun laws, and race and justice — Martin was black, Zimmerman is half white, half Hispanic. But has anything changed?

Life has certainly changed for Zimmerman, who is living with his wife, Shellie, in a house in an undisclosed location while they await trial. Shellie Zimmerman is facing perjury charges for allegedly lying under oath when she claimed that she and her husband were broke. George Zimmerman has an April 22 court date to argue that he should be granted legal immunity under the state's "stand your ground" law, and assuming that motion is denied, his trial is set to begin on June 10. Both Zimmermans are unemployed, though they've raised at least $314,000 from supporters for George's legal defense; George Zimmerman has reportedly gained 100 pounds.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.