Man who shot at George Zimmerman sentenced to 20 years in prison

George Zimmerman.
(Image credit: Pool/Getty Images)

The family of a Florida man sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison for shooting at George Zimmerman thinks the punishment is unfair, and Zimmerman is receiving preferential treatment due to his notoriety.

The judge ruled Apperson must serve the state-mandated minimum of 20 years, but before his sentencing, Apperson's wife, Lisa, told the court he was innocent and Seminole County law enforcement has "given George Zimmerman a golden ticket to go out and do whatever he wants to do." This sentiment was echoed by Apperson's mother, Janet White, who called Zimmerman the real "bad man" and said her son was only acting in self-defense. "We will hold our collective breaths to see what outrageous acts [Zimmerman] performs next," she added. Since his acquittal, Zimmerman has had multiple run-ins with law enforcement, including when a girlfriend accused him of threatening her with a gun. In court, Zimmerman said Apperson has a "blatant disregard for my life, any life."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.