The leader of a prominent advocacy group for domestic violence victims sharply criticized the recent conduct of George Zimmerman’s attorney, Jayne Weintraub, and expressed concern for the safety of the alleged victim. Rita Smith, the Executive Director of the National Coalition To Prevent Domestic Violence suggested that Zimmerman’s girlfriend may have been “manipulated” into recanting her allegations against Zimmerman.
Weintraub recently submitted a motion requesting the terms of George Zimmerman’s bail be modified to allow contact with the alleged victim, his girlfriend Samantha Scheibe. On November 18, Zimmerman was arrested and charged with aggravated assault against Scheibe. At that time, she told the police that Zimmerman “cocked and pointed a shotgun at [her], shattered a glass-top table, then pushed her out of the house and barricaded himself inside.” She also told authorities that, in a separate incident a week and a half prior to the arrest, “he tried to choke her.” Weintraub’s motion asserts “it was the police, not Mr. Zimmerman, who intimidated her.”