He was 17. When he was 2 his biological mother (Sybrina Fulton) gave up custody of him to his father - despite the fact that she had a stable, union-protected job with the county and access to daycare.
His father, when he was employed, was a long haul trucker who did not figure much in his life - he was raised by his father's long-suffering second wife, Alicia Stanley, who is apparently a churchgoing woman.
When Mr. Martin left Stanley for Brandy Green, Stanley no longer had custody since she had never formally adopted him despite caring for him from age 2 to 16. So he moved - illegally - into Green's condominium where she was raising her own, younger son.
Quite frankly, his personal situation at age 16 was terrible and it seems to be then that he began his wannabe "gangsta" phase and started his short career as a failed tough guy.
What he did to Zimmerman was really stupid and disgusting and he paid the price.
But the adults who were responsible for this juvenile - his mother and father - are more complicit in his death than Zimmerman is, and they preen themselves as victims in the courtroom each day as the press fawns over them each night.
They couldn't raise their son in life, but they trademarked his corpse.
I’ve heard that he was five, not two, when Fulton gave custody to Tracy. What was the reason she gave for giving him up? I just can’t imagine a mother willingly giving up her son for any reason. Does anyone know Sybrina Fulton’s history or background?