George Zimmerman Road-Rage Incident Ends in 20-Year Sentence

Matthew Apperson was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 17, 2016 10:48 AM CDT
Man Who Tried to Kill George Zimmerman Gets 20 Years
Matthew Apperson enters a Seminole County courtroom before the start of his trial on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016 in Sanford, Fla.    (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel via AP, Pool)

A Florida man who fired at George Zimmerman's vehicle during a road-rage confrontation has been sentenced to 20 years in prison; that's the minimum sentence mandated by the state. The Orlando Sentinel reports that at the sentencing hearing Monday morning, Zimmerman said 38-year-old Matthew Apperson showed no regard for human life during the May 2015 confrontation, and even seemed joyful because he mistakenly thought he'd killed Zimmerman.

Zimmerman is the former neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of second-degree murder after fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. Apperson was convicted by a Seminole County jury last month of attempted second-degree murder, armed aggravated assault, and shooting into a vehicle. Apperson testified at trial that he acted in self-defense after Zimmerman flashed a gun. Zimmerman disputed that.

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