Now that he’s a free man, George Zimmerman wants to go to law school to help other people like him.
Mr. Zimmerman was found not guilty Saturday night for fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, and one of his first calls to celebrate the news was to defense witness John Donnelly and his wife, Leanne Benjamin.
The couple told Reuters on Sunday that they were having dinner with Mr. Zimmerman recently when he told Mrs. Benjamin he wanted to go to law school.
“I’d like to help other people like me,” she said he told them.
Mr. Zimmerman attended community college and was a credit shy of graduating with an associate’s degree in criminal justice before the shooting on Feb. 26, 2012.
“Everybody said he was a cop wannabe, but he’s interested in law,” Mrs. Benjamin added. “He sees it as a potential path forward to help other people like himself.”
PHOTOS: Photos from the George Zimmerman verdict
Mr. Zimmerman’s defense attorney Mark O’Mara agreed.
“He wanted to be a cop for a while, but he’s talked about going to law school,” Mr. O’Mara told Reuters on Sunday. “He has a real interest in the law and … prosecuting appropriately — not like what he got — is something he’s very interested in. I will not be surprised if he ends up in criminal law.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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