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George Zimmerman, 29, awaiting trial for fatally shooting Florida teen Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 as he walked unarmed  from the store back to his family’s apartment in a gated community in Sanford, Florida, has gained almost 110 lbs since his April 2012 arrest, reports the NY Daily News.

“I think it’s an incredibly stressful situation for George, and we all handle stress differently,” said Shawn Vincent, a spokesman for Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara. “He does live in hiding, and he’s uncomfortable being out very often. So that contributes to it.

“That’s a lot of weight to gain in a short period of time, and it’s an extraordinary set of circumstances,” said Vincent, who would not get very specific about Zimmerman’s weight because, he said, it may come into play during the trial.”

Julie Blackman, an executive with DOAR litigation consulting, told the Daily News that said jurors will notice the astonishing weight gain.

“Appearance surely matters,” Blackman said, “and probably doesn’t help a case when it’s a crime of violence.”

As previously reported by NewsOne, Zimmerman attempted to say that the 17-year-old Trayvon overpowered him and threatened his life, so he was within his rights to use deadly force.

That excuse has not carried much weight in the court of public opinion; time will tell if the jurors find Zimmerman’s story as unlikely –and improbable — as everyone else.

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