The Irish American defense lawyer George Zimmerman, Mark O’Mara has confirmed that there will be a new bond hearing for his client on 29th June.
O’Mara posted the announcement on Zimmerman’s defense website. He stated “The court has set the hearing for June 29. Mr. Zimmerman’s bond will be the subject of this hearing, and as we indicated previously, we will file the motion for bond well in advance of the hearing.”
Zimmerman is accused of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on 29th February. He was not arrested until six-weeks after the teen’s death. During that time he accumulated around $193,000 via his online donations website.
Last week the accused was back in jail after prosecutors claimed he and his wife mislead the judge at his initial bail hearing in April. They claimed that they did not have enough money to pay their bond.
Zimmerman is pleading not guilty to the second-degree murder charges. It is believed that O’Mara will use the controversial “Stand Your Ground” defense.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that next week Trayvon Martin’s family will deliver their 340,000-signature petition next week during the first public meeting of the task force reviewing Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The law stands that you can used excessive force against an attacker if you feel your own life is in danger.
The Citizen Safety and Protection Task Force was created by Governor Rick Scott following to public outcry over the unarmed teen’s death. Many believe the law encourages people to “shoot first”.
Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, the murdered teen’s parents, plan to deliver the public petition by hand. Central Florida Urban League President Allie Braswell is also expected to attend.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Malisha | Jun 10, 2012, 02:43 PM EDT
I already commented but it got lost in the virtual world. SYG does not apply to Zimmerman's conduct that night; it does, however, apply to Trayvon Martin's conduct. Zimmerman could have only used the SYG laws if Trayvon Martin had attacked him in his vehicle. Once he left the vehicle and chased after Martin, he was not "standing his ground," he was aggressing, and Martin had a right to stand HIS ground and defend himself. I don't know why even the Trayvon Martin folks have missed this obvious point. The Gov of Florida has said SYG does not apply in this case; even the sponsor of the bill says the same. SYG doesn't give you a hunting license to go after people you don't like and, if they defend themselves, KILL THEM. No such law could ever be constitutional.
EphraimKibbey | Jun 09, 2012, 01:37 AM EDT
@PhlutiePhan - You are correct that the current law is what must be used in Zimmerman's case however the petition is about changing the law so that this doesn't happen again. Either the law as written in Florida is flawed or the courts and the police in Florida have been misinterpreting it. One of the state representatives who voted for it expressed the later opinion when asked about its application in several previous cases. It seems that the law is vague on the determination of who is the aggressor and who is the victim. Hopefully it will be rewritten in a more definitive form. If Zimmerman had know that by chasing after Martin, he would be considered the aggressor, it might have prevented this tragedy.
PhlutiePhan | Jun 08, 2012, 02:01 PM EDT
The law is the law whether 340K say nay or not. Under the current law and that is what matters, there is no way that Zimmerman should be convicted of premeditated second degree murder. A more appropriate charge would have been manslaughter.
Nicomax | Jun 08, 2012, 01:11 PM EDT
It's ever more clear that it would have been better if George Zimmerman either decided to stay home with his wife that evening, or not bother getting out of his truck, both under the old adage of "leave well enough alone".