Zimmerman's wife on probation for perjury

Sanford, Fla. • Shellie Zimmerman, the wife of acquitted murder suspect George Zimmerman, admitted Wednesday that she had committed perjury to help her husband get out of jail and agreed to a plea deal that requires her to serve a year of probation.

Shellie Zimmerman had been charged with felony perjury, which carried a possible sentence of five years in prison. Instead, she negotiated a deal to plead guilty to misdemeanor perjury.

She was composed during her 10-minute hearing, answering questions from Circuit Judge Marlene Alva in a clear, confident voice. Notably absent from the courtroom was her husband, George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford.

A six-member jury acquitted him of second-degree murder last month.