Regarding Zimmerman's "violent record", from the L.A. Times (which strained to say every negative thing they could about Zimmerman):

 Quote:
In July 2005, Zimmerman, then 21, was at a bar near the University of Central Florida when a friend was arrested by state alcohol agents on suspicion of serving underage drinkers, according to an arrest report in the Sentinel. Zimmerman became profane and pushed away an agent who tried to escort him, the report said. Authorities said he was arrested after a short struggle. Charged with resisting arrest without violence, he avoided conviction by entering a pretrial-diversion program, something common for first-time offenders.

A month later, an ex-fiancée filed a petition for an injunction against Zimmerman, citing domestic violence. Zimmerman responded by filing a petition of his own the following day. The fight led to protective injunctions that expired Aug. 24, 2006.

Zimmerman married Shellie Nicole Dean, a licensed cosmetologist, in late 2007.

The next year, he resurfaced in court documents as a credit-card company pursued him. Capital One accused Zimmerman of failing to pay more than $1,000. He settled with the company for $2,135.82, records show, to cover his debts with interest, as well as attorney and court costs.