Timeline of the George Zimmerman Murder Trial
June 24, 2013— -- The shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman and the investigation leading up to the murder trial has spanned 16 months and many legal bombshells.
Here is a recap of how the case has unfolded:
Feb. 26, 2012 – At about 7:17 pm George Zimmerman shoots Trayvon Martin as the 17-year-old is walking back from a convenience store in Sanford, Fla., Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, had called 911 about the "suspicious teen" and allegedly followed him. He immediately told police he shot Martin in self-defense after a scuffle. He is taken into custody but released that night. No charges are filed.
March 8, 2012 - Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, the teenager's parents, create a Change.org petition calling for Zimmerman's arrest. Within 10 days it would have 200,000 signatures, and would swell at the pace of about 10,000 signatures an hour for several days.
March 9: Two weeks after Martin was killed, Trayvon Martin's family attorney Benjamin Crump demands that police release the 911 tapes or make an arrest. Police declined to comment at the time, but told ABC News the tapes would be released the following week.
March 13: Sanford Police Chief Billy Lee said there is no evidence to dispute Zimmerman's assertion that he shot Martin in self defense. That same day the lead investigator on the case Chris Serino files an affidavit recommending Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter.
March 16: Martin's family first hears 911 calls made the night of the shooting. The cries for help send the boy's mother screaming from the room and prompted his father to declare, "He killed my son," a family representative tells ABC News. In a letter a day earlier Zimmerman's father insists it was George's voice crying for help. Tracy Martin's account is later disputed, when a police officer quotes Martin as saying the voice crying out was not his son.
March 19: The U.S. Justice Department announces it will investigate Martin's death.
March 22, 2012 – State Attorney Norm Wolfinger recuses himself from the case, does not provide an explanation. Sanford police chief Bill Lee announces he will resign "temporarily." Rallies calling for George Zimmerman's arrest start taking place across the nation.
March 23, 2012 - President Obama comments on the case, saying he thinks the shooting should be investigated and telling reporters: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott appoints state attorney Angela Corey as a special prosecutor to look into the case. He also creates a task force to look into the state's "stand your ground" self-defense law.
March 26, 2012 - Martin's family confirms that Martin had been in Sanford visiting his father because he was suspended from school after school officers found a plastic bag containing traces of marijuana in his backpack.
March 28, 2012 – ABC News obtains surveillance video from the Sanford Police station showing George Zimmerman in police custody and without significant visible injuries approximately an hour after the shooting is released. Later, enhanced video show marks to his head and a swollen nose.
April 3, 2012 - The FBI announces it has opened its own investigation into the Martin shooting.
April 9, 2012 - Zimmerman launches TheRealGeorgeZimmerman.com, replete with a paypal account for donations for his legal fund.
April 10, 2012 – In a bizarre press conference, Zimmerman's attorneys, Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner, announce they have lost contact with their client and no longer represent him.
