George Zimmerman’s Weight Gain: Result Of Stress Or Defense Tactic?

George Zimmerman gained a significant amount of weight between the night in February 2012 when he shot and killed Trayvon Martin and this summer, when he stood trial for second-degree murder in the Florida courtroom.

When Zimmerman was questioned by police on Feb. 26, 2012, he was measured at 5’ 8’’ and weighed 194 lbs, and was training multiple time a week in mixed martial arts, appearing lean and strong. Now, Zimmerman’s weight is estimated at over 300 lbs. “He’s gained an enormous amount of weight,” said Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s lawyer. Because he’s sitting in a house stressed trying to deal with the moniker that’s been put on him that he’s the most hated man in America.”

Though O’Mara’s answer to the weight gain question makes logical sense, there’s been speculation that the defense team, needing to show Zimmerman acted in self-defense, encouraged their client to put on some extra weight. Defense testimony more than once cited Zimmerman’s lack of athleticism. One such witness, Dennis Root, testified, “[Zimmerman] was by no stretch of the imagination an athlete.” Another defense witness, gym owner Adam Pollock, described Zimmerman as “soft” from the stand.

Body language expert Patti Wood, after noting that Zimmerman’s weight gain could hurt him in the eyes of the jury, also suggested that it could work in his favor on CNN. "Before he looked like a lean mean fighting machine and very young and fit," Wood said, implying that the man who now stood trial looked like someone who may have been defenseless against a strong 17-year-old boy. "It may work for him in an odd way."

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