SANFORD (AP) — A judge said Friday he needed to look at evidence before deciding whether to grant George Zimmerman bond following a sort of mini-trial that featured the defense trying to poke holes in the prosecution's case by calling the neighborhood watch leader's father to testify and playing a chilling 911 call from the night Trayvon Martin was fatally shot.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester did not indicate when he might make a decision. He revoked Zimmerman's bond in June after prosecutors told the judge Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had during an April bond hearing.
Prosecutors said a website Zimmerman created for his legal defense had raised $135,000 at the time of his first bond hearing and Zimmerman and his wife did not mention the money then.
Zimmerman's attorney briefly considered calling his client to the stand but ultimately decided against it.
Much of the bond hearing focused on the donations raised through a PayPal account and how it was repeatedly transferred between bank accounts Zimmerman and his wife controlled.
“It was done to hide the money so they could deceive the court, lie to the court. Mrs. Zimmerman lied to the court and this defendant just sat there and let it happen,” prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda said.
Zimmerman's attorney attempted to show there was no effort to hide the money from the judge.
“It is not the grand conspiracy the state seems to suggest,” attorney Mark O'Mara said.
There was also a great deal of evidence and testimony about the head injuries Zimmerman suffered the night of the fight with Trayvon, including a broken nose and cuts on his skull. Zimmerman was also described by a probation officer as a “model client” who had not violated any of his previous bond conditions.
Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old Trayvon, a Miami Gardens on a visit to Sanford, on Feb. 26 at a gated apartment community in Sanford. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's “stand your ground” law.
Trayvon's parents and supporters claim the teenager was targeted because he was black and Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.
Photo: George Zimmerman
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