Wife of George Zimmerman gets probation in perjury plea deal

Shelley Zimmerman, the wife of the man acquitted of killing a Florida teen, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a deal in which she will serve a year of probation. The arrangement allowed her to a lesser form of perjury that avoids a felony conviction, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Zimmerman had been accused of lying in court during a bond hearing for her husband, George Zimmerman, after he had been charged in the death of Trayvon Martin. The original charge, perjury during an official proceeding, was a first-degree felony that carried a possible five-year prison term and a $5,000 fine. Shelley Zimmerman, a nursing student, would have banned for applying for a nursing license for three years as a convicted felon. The charge she pleaded to, perjury but not an official proceeding, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. She also will have to perform 100 hours of community service. Her husband was not present in court.