The wife of George Zimmerman, a Florida neighbourhood watch leader acquitted in July of murdering the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, is filing for divorce, her lawyer said on Thursday.

Shellie Zimmerman, 26, will present documents to court officials on Friday in Florida's Seminole county, according to attorney Kelly Sims. The couple had been married for six years. George Zimmerman's brother, Robert, appeared to confirm the news in a tweet on Thursday evening. "According to Shellie's atty Kelly Sims – Shellie is preparing to file 4 divorce. Doc have not yet been filed in Seminole Cty. Pray 4 them," he wrote.

Shellie Zimmerman was sentenced to 12 months of probation last month after she admitted lying to a judge about their finances during her husband's bail hearing in June 2012. She said in an interview after her conviction for perjury that she felt he had "beaten down her self-esteem" and that she was no longer sure if she wanted to remain married.