George Zimmerman is living in a safe house in Seminole County, according to a blog by his defense attorney, Mark O’Mara of Orlando. And he needs money, O’Mara wrote Sunday, because when a second bond hearing put Zimmerman’s bail at $1 million, the neighborhood watch volunteer had to add $85,000 to the $15,000 he’d posted in April, after his first bond hearing. Zimmerman is charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and has claimed self-defense.
Last month prosecutors charged that Zimmerman and his wife had misled Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester about their financial resources, which included more than $150,000 raised online for his defense. Lester revoked his bond and sent him back to jail, then upped the bond amount last Thursday. According to O’Mara, the balance of the defense’s cash was $211,000 before Zimmerman bailed out of jail on Friday. “[A]t this time, there are about $40,000 in payables for defense expenses so far (not including any attorney’s fees) with significant expenses ahead of us for expert witnesses, deposition costs, private security and George’s living expenses,” he noted. “Paying bond and scheduled expenses would effectively wipe out the existing balance.” O’Mara said donations had fallen off while Zimmerman was in jail the second time, but that $36,000 came in after the new bond order.
“Supporters have told us they were concerned that the Court would set such a high bond that getting George out of jail could risk wiping out the entire defense account,” O’Mara noted. “It appears that they were right.” Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, said they preferred Zimmerman remain in jail, but “respect the ruling of the court and the strong message that the judge sent that deference to judicial integrity is paramount to all court proceedings.” Zimmerman, half-white and half-Hispanic, shot the unarmed Trayvon Martin, an African American, after following him in the gated community where Zimmerman lived and Martin was visiting his father.
Accusations of racism have helped make the case a national one. Martin’s parents “understand that this is not a sprint to justice,” said Crump, “but a long journey to justice that they must bear for their son Trayvon.” Zimmerman’s defense strategy will be based upon the funds at his disposal, O’Mara said. “For those who have given in the past, for those who have thought about giving, for those who feel Mr. Zimmerman was justified in his actions, for those who feel they would do the same if they were in Mr. Zimmerman’s shoes, for those that think Mr. Zimmerman has been treated unfairly by the media, for those who feel Mr. Zimmerman has been falsely accused as a racist, for those who feel this case is an affront to their constitutional rights — now is the time to show your support,” O’Mara wrote.
–News Service of Florida
question says
Defendant and wife bare-face, materially, lie to the Judge’s face during court session…
then on a recorded jail house phone…
plot the movement [in what they think is oh-so-clever code] of said, lied-about cash.
Inconsistency after inconsistency to investigators.
Lying comes way too easy to these two.
Credibility: zero
Cash that will continue to fly in to these two: shockingly high
Ben Dover says
Yeah that code they used was pretty pathetic, but I`m sure his attorney told him how much it was going to cost him to be properly defended, and I think 130,000.00 was enough in the first place , If the other side had been honest , and took away the pictures of the 12 yr old boy the country thinks was involved in the shooting, and showed the 6ft tall gold toothed , baggy pants, drug dealer he became . maybe there would not have been so much outrage in the first place , I `m sure if it was (That picture )they showed, Obama would not have said that could be my son, and maybe there would not have been that million man march to pressure the Sanford police into making an arrest . So I think the dishonesty on Martins side of this and death threats made by the Black Panthers put alot of added pressure on George and his family , maybe scared him into wanting to run , the whole country including the President already had him tried and convicted, what would you do?
Nettles18 says
Give me a break! The entire world knew about the donation account. The court was irresponsible in setting bail on April 20th when the defense, prosuctor nor the Judge knew the balance in it. Shellie told them her brother-in-law could give a current amount and the legal begals did nothing with that. Had they waited to talk to the BIL to get the balance, no one would have been accused of lying. That’s a fact.
Outside says
Actually, if prosecutors could read a very understandable law, they would not have brought charges at all. The law clearly states that even an initial aggressor, which it doesn’t even seem Zimmerman is, based on the EVIDENCE, can wave the white flag of surrender and THEN use the force necessary to stop someone from taking his life if the threat continues. However, they will ignore the law and prosecute Zimmerman if it means they can placate a ignorant mob.
meh says
oh come on people, give me a break. speaking ONLY regarding the trial, if zimmerman is to defend himself, he’s entitled to the same or similar representation the martin family will house. clearly, the martin family will have an all star prosecution, spared no expense. so this guy had to lie a little bit to keep some money, so what? who in the judicial system IS NOT corrupt? skips on paying taxes and uses their title to avoid self-destructive situations.
i still think the innocent, hoodie picture is eluding most people of this incident. do some more research.
ZIM MAN says
ZIMMERMAN IS A MAN THAT WAS BEAT AND ALMOST KILLED BY TRAYVON HE SHOULD BE FREE!!!!!!!!!