( CNN ) -- The first hint something was amiss was the knock on the door from a television reporter . Elaine McClain and her husband , David McClain , of Sanford , Florida , were not expecting a journalist to drop by looking for George Zimmerman , the man who says he fatally shot an unarmed teenager in self-defense . The death of Trayvon Martin has sparked strong reactions across the country , and those sentiments made their way to the unassuming McClains . The next day , a letter arrived with `` Taste the rainbow '' written on the envelope in felt-tip pen . That is the slogan for Skittles candy . When he was shot , Martin was carrying Skittles candy and a can of iced tea he had purchased from a nearby convenience store . The letter was followed by a parade of reporters arriving at the McClains ' home . Only then , Elaine McClain said , did she and her husband learn that director Spike Lee had retweeted a message to his 250,000 followers with the couple 's address , identifying it as George Zimmerman 's home . The McClains have a son whose middle name is George and whose last name is Zimmerman , but he has no connection with the controversy . After the tweets , with hate mail arriving and strangers with microphones knocking on the door , the McClains left their house for a hotel . Lee apologized on Twitter to the couple and asked people to leave them in peace , and on Thursday , Elaine McClain said , Lee called her and gave a sincere apology . Lee also told her he would pay the couple 's cost of having to leave their home , Elaine McClain said . The family 's attorney , Matt Morgan , said Lee reached an agreement with the couple . `` The McClains are relieved that this matter is now behind them , '' Morgan said . `` We had a very sincere and heartfelt conversation with Mr. Lee today . His apology was genuine and our clients were grateful . We asked Mr. Lee to do the right thing and he did . '' The McClains said they were not seeking financial gain from their troubles . David McClain said he simply wants to get his life `` back to a rational state . '' Zimmerman , a neighborhood watch volunteer who says he killed in self-defense last month , lives more than 4 miles from the McClains . He is reported to be in hiding . CNN 's Selin Darkalstanian , Michael Martinez and John Branch contributed to this report .
NEW : Director David Lee apologizes to them and will cover costs of their leaving home . Lee retweeted an address identified as the Zimmerman 's . It was the wrong address , and the family left their home to escape harassment . The family sought a personal apology and compensation from Lee .