Washington (AFP) – A painting by George Zimmerman, whose fatal 2012 shooting of a black teenager triggered an outcry across the United States, sold for just over $100,000 on eBay.
The signed patriotic blue-hued portrayal of the Stars and Stripes flag is overlayed with the words “God, One Country, with Liberty and Justice for All” in typewriter font.
The artwork was the subject of 96 bids before finally going under the online hammer for $100,099.99 when bidding closed late Sunday.
Internet auctioneer eBay on Monday declined to provide any information about the successful bidder.
Zimmerman has said he turned to painting to “express myself, my emotions and the symbols that represent my experiences.”
“My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet and allows me to remain indoors,” he said.
Zimmerman, 30, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida, fatally shot Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 as the 17-year-old unarmed high school student was walking home with iced tea and candy.
He insisted he had been following Martin on suspicion that the youth was involved in robbery, and that he shot him in an act of self-defense.
Police soon released him, prompting a national outcry that led to a jury trial for second-degree murder and manslaughter in June this year which ended with his acquittal.
More recently he faced arraignment for allegedly pointing a gun at his girlfriend, before she dropped the charges.
Said by his lawyers to be deep in debt, Zimmerman noted on his eBay listing that he created his debut canvas using house paint donated by a friend.
Meanwhile eBay confirmed it had withdrawn from its site a different painting that critiqued Zimmerman.
The second painting showed a man wearing a police uniform and a white hood of the Ku Klux Klan pointing a pistol of a black youngster holding a packet of candy.
eBay said the painting violated rules about material that promotes violence, hatred, or racial and religious intolerance.
