PHOTOS: Getty
George Zimmerman is behind bars in Florida after a judge revoked his bond for allegedly lying about his finances and concealing a second passport. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin last February in suburban Orlando.
Zimmerman surrendered on Sunday and will remain in the Sanford jail until a judge decides whether he should be freed before trial, report the Orlando Sentinel. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara is "expected to submit a motion" for a bail hearing Monday.
Prosecutors told the judge that Zimmerman [and his wife] lied about the couple's finances under oath during Zimmerman's April 20 bail hearing. Zimmerman's wife knew about tens of thousands of dollars her husband had by then collected in donations through a website he created, prosecutors say, but didn't tell [Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester]. "Defendant has intentionally deceived the court with the assistance of his wife," prosecutors said in a motion to revoke Zimmerman's bond. The state relied on recorded jailhouse phone calls, in which they say Zimmerman and his wife discussed the funds "in code to hide what they were doing."
O'Mara acknowledged the problem his client faces in securing a new bond. "There is a credibility question that needs to be explained away," he said. O'Mara added that Zimmerman's "credibility has been tarnished, and he will have to rehabilitate it."
More on the second passport from Reuters:
When Zimmerman surrendered his passport at his April 20 bond hearing, he did so knowing that he had a second unexpired passport, the prosecution also alleged. In one recorded phone call from jail, the motion said Zimmerman told his wife he thought the passport was in a bag and she replied, "I have one for you in a safety deposit box." "OK, you hold onto that," Zimmerman allegedly told her.
The self-appointed neighborhood watchman has admitted to killing the unarmed Black teenager and claims it was self-defense. Zimmerman remained free and without charges for two months after the fatal shooting. That triggered a huge outcry across the nation and cyberspace.
Audio from 911 tapes reveal that police dispatchers warned Zimmerman not to follow the "suspicious" teen or leave his vehicle. The Sanford Police Department has not explained why Zimmerman left his vehicle or how he and Martin came to be face to face.
The Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are considering charging George Zimmerman with violating the federal hate crime law. Zimmerman could face life in prison or the death penalty.
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I guess while he was "out" he went "in" several times to Ms. Popeyes because la weight has returned.
Posted by: Honut Sinti | 07 June 2012 at 20:52