George Zimmerman will go on trial June 10 for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman's lawyer said Wednesday.
The neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with second-degree murder. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense in the February 26 shooting, saying Martin charged him after the two exchanged words, knocked him to the ground and banged his head repeatedly against a concrete sidewalk.
Prosecutors say Zimmerman profiled Martin as a criminal and killed him, even though the teenager was doing nothing wrong.
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.
Martin's death sparked nationwide protests and inflamed public passions over race relations and gun control, as well as Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.
More details emerge in Trayvon Martin investigation
New documents shed light on Trayvon Martin killing'
FBI analysis - Zimmerman's 911 call (pdf - strong language)
– In Session's Jean Casarez contributed to this report.
George Zimmerman – a Florida man charged with murder in the February shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin – was released from jail on Friday, a day after a judge set a new bail amount.
A Florida judge on Thursday set a $1 million bail with new restrictions on Zimmerman (pictured), saying he believes the suspect may have been planning to flee the country to avoid prosecution in the killing of Martin.
Zimmerman's previous bail – $150,000 – was revoked last month after the judge learned Zimmerman and his wife had failed to disclose more than $150,000 in donations from the public.
Leading up to the judge's decision Thursday, Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara asked the judge to set the same $150,000 bail amount that he granted in April. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda countered that Zimmerman should remain in jail without bail because he was complicit in lying to the court and can't be trusted.
FULL STORY
A Florida judge set the new bail amount for George Zimmerman – a Florida man charged with murder in the February shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin - at $1 million on Thursday.
It was unclear how quickly Zimmerman (pictured) could post the bail and be released from jail. His attorney argued that Zimmerman should not be jailed because the state's case is weak and his claim of self-defense is strong.
Zimmerman's previous bail – $150,000 – was revoked last month after the judge learned Zimmerman and his wife had failed to disclose more than $150,000 in donations from the public.
Leading up to the judge's decision Thursday, Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara asked the judge to set the same $150,000 bail amount that he granted in April. Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda countered that Zimmerman should remain in jail without bail because he was complicit in lying to the court and can't be trusted.
Zimmerman, who says he shot the unarmed Martin in self-defense, could stay in jail until his eventual trial or could be released Thursday if he posts bail. He would not have to post the full amount. Only a percentage is needed to make bail.
FULL STORY
George Zimmerman failed to identify himself twice during a confrontation with Trayvon Martin and missed opportunities to defuse the situation that led to the death of the teen, a detective says in a newly released report.
Zimmerman, who served as a neighborhood watch volunteer, is charged with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Martin, 17, in Sanford, Florida.
The revelation is part of information Florida prosecutors released Tuesday. It includes a previously undisclosed portion of a video of Zimmerman showing injuries he said he suffered in the altercation with Martin.
Zimmerman, 28, told police he shot the teenager in February in self-defense and has pleaded not guilty. But Martin's family and civil rights activists said Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, racially profiled Martin and ignored a 911 dispatcher's advice not to follow him.
FULL STORYNew documents, audio and video have been released in the case against George Zimmerman who is charged with the second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin. Below are updates on statements Zimmerman made to police, made public as part of discovery, which have been released by his defense team.
[Updated at 8:14 a.m. ET] Zimmerman told police that at some point during the exchange with Martin he began hitting his head into the sidewalk.
"When he started doing that, I slid into the grass to try to get out from under him ... I'm still yelling for help," Zimmerman told investigators.
Martin, he said, put his hand over Zimmerman's mouth and nose and told him, "You're going to die tonight."
"When I slid, my jacket and my shirt came up, and when he said, 'You're going to die tonight,' I felt his hand go down my side, and I thought he was going for my firearm, so I grabbed it immediately, and as he banged my head again, I just pulled out my firearm and shot him."
When he did, he said Martin, who had been on top of him, fell away and said, "All right. You got it. You got it."
Zimmerman claimed in the interview he was driving to the grocery store February 26 when he saw Martin walking in his neighborhood. He said he pulled over and called a police non-emergency number "to report a suspicious person."
He noted there had been some burglaries in the area, prompting him to start a neighborhood watch program. He said he had never seen Martin before, and thought it was odd that although it was raining, "he was just walking casually, not like he was trying to get out of the rain."
As he spoke to the dispatcher, he said Martin circled his vehicle, but he "lost visual of him" and got out of the vehicle to find him. The dispatcher, he said, told him "we don't need you to do that," and he was heading back to the vehicle when Martin jumped out, asking him, "What the f-'s your problem?"
He said he told Martin, "I don't have a problem," but the youth replied, "Now you have a problem," and attacked him. He said he fell backward after being punched in the nose, and "he was wailing on my head."
Zimmerman told police he yelled for help repeatedly, and heard one man say he was going to call 911.
"I screamed 'Help me' probably 50 times, as loud as I could," he said.
Read Zimmerman's written statement to police (PDF)
[Posted at 7:50 a.m. ET] In an initial interview with police following the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman described a life-and-death struggle that began when the youth "jumped out from the bushes."
Zimmerman said Martin punched him repeatedly in the face. "I started screaming for help. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe."
He said Martin "grabbed my head and started hitting it in the sidewalk."
The audio of the Zimmerman's first interview with police investigators was made public late Wednesday as part of the discovery items released by his defense team.
Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in Martin's February 26 shooting death. Zimmerman has claimed he shot Martin in self-defense, but Martin's family and civil rights activists from across the country claim that Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, racially profiled Martin and ignored a 911 dispatcher's advice not to follow him.
Read some of the previous documents in the Zimmerman case
FULL STORY
The wife of a Florida man charged with fatally shooting an unarmed teen in February has been arrested on a perjury charge, according to a Florida state attorney's office.
The charge relates to testimony that Shellie Zimmerman (pictured) gave during a bail hearing for her husband, George Zimmerman. Prosecutors contend that Shellie Zimmerman falsely told the court that she and her husband were indigent.
Shellie Zimmerman, 25, was arrested Tuesday, according to Jackie Barnard, spokeswoman for the state attorney's office in the state's Fourth Judicial Circuit. She was released after posting $1,000 bail, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said.
George Zimmerman, 28, is a neighborhood watch volunteer charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17, in a Sanford, Florida, neighborhood. George Zimmerman told police he shot the teenager in self-defense and has pleaded not guilty.
A Florida judge revoked his bail June 1 after agreeing with prosecutors that he had misrepresented how much money he had. He is expected to ask for a new bail hearing.
FULL STORYProsecutors released a summary of evidence Tuesday in the case against neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who is accused of second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin.
The eight-page document released to the public contains a list of possible witnesses and law enforcement reports that could be used in the prosecution's case against Zimmerman.
But it doesn't include details from those statements or reports, and contains no new revelations about the case, which sparked nationwide protests and reflection on race relations and gun laws in the United States.
The document is part of the routine exchange of information between prosecutors and defense attorneys that occurs before trials.
FULL STORYThe rejection of the resignation plan for the embattled police chief in the Trayvon Martin case leaves the city in "limbo," the city manager said Tuesday.
"It would be better for us to have a separation," Sanford, Florida, City Manager Norton N. Bonaparte told CNN, speaking about Chief Bill Lee. "It will be challenging for him to come back."
City commissioners in Sanford voted Monday to reject the proposed resignation of Lee, who has been under fire for the handling of the probe into Trayvon Martin's death in February.
Lee has been on paid leave since March 22, a day after the commission expressed a lack of confidence in him because of the case. He remains so after the commission's decision, and Capt. Darren Scott continues to serve as acting chief.
FULL STORYAfter George Zimmerman took the stand during his bond hearing and told Trayvon Martin's parents that he was sorry for the loss of their son, a Florida judge Friday set Zimmerman's bond at $150,000.
The judge set a number of conditions, including GPS monitoring. The judge said Zimmerman wouldn't have the opportunity to be released Friday, because his attorney and state authorities needed to hammer out the monitoring and other logistics.
Friday's bond hearing also included testimony from one of the state's main investigators in the case, with Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara challenging the state's assertions. Under questioning, the investigator said the state didn't have evidence to contradict Zimmerman's account that Martin started the fight that led to the shooting, but he did say evidence did call into question other parts of Zimmerman's account.
Zimmerman, 28, was charged on April 11 with second-degree murder in the February death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, after the case sparked a heated, national debate over racial profiling and saw thousands of protesters demand Zimmerman's arrest. Martin's family contends Zimmerman racially profiled their son, who was black, and was walking back from a convenience store in Sanford, Florida.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who is Hispanic, maintains he acted in self-defense. His family says he did not profile Martin. (Timeline of case)
The following is a running account of the bond hearing:
[Updated at 12:14 p.m. ET] The state's attorney in today's bond hearing, reacting to reporters' questions about O'Mara's assault on the prosecution's case, said that not all evidence has been publicly revealed.
"We did not put our entire case on today. Let's leave it at that," he told reporters outside the courthouse.
[Updated at 11:55 a.m. ET] Mark NeJame, an Orlando lawyer and CNN legal analyst, said O'Mara's move to put Zimmerman on the stand during the bond hearing "was a calculated risk to humanize George Zimmerman."
"We've heard a lot of negative things for weeks now, and we've now heard a living breathing person" make an apology, NeJame said.
[Updated at 11:15 a.m. ET] The hearing is over. Zimmerman stood up and shook hands with his attorney, Mark O'Mara, before sitting down again to wait to be taken from the courtroom.
[Updated at 11:10 a.m. ET] The judge has set a bond of $150,000, with conditions.
The conditions include:
– GPS monitoring
– Zimmerman would have to contact authorities every three days
– No contact with the victim's family
– No possession of firearms
– No use of controlled substances, other than those prescribed by a physician.
As for O'Mara's request that Zimmerman be allowed to reside away from Florida, the judge said O'Mara and the state should get together and determine whether that can be accomplished.
Because O'Mara and the state need to meet about the arrangements for monitoring, Zimmerman will not have an opportunity to be freed today. the judge said.
[Updated at 11:07 a.m. ET] The state's attorney is now making a case against leniency when it comes to the bond decision, and has asked for no bond, or a bond of $1 million.
The state's attorney argued that Zimmerman is a danger to the public, citing not only the second-degree murder charge, but a previous charge of battery against a law enforcement officer, which was discussed at length earlier in the hearing.
[Updated at 11:02 a.m. ET] The hearing is now turning back to the issue of bond. O'Mara is asking the judge for:
– $15,000 bond.
– The ability of Zimmerman to leave the state
– Secrecy over Zimmerman's whereabouts
O'Mara, speaking to Zimmerman's ability to pay bond, noted that Zimmerman cannot work in public because of the case's publicity, and that his wife is not working because she is in school.
[Updated at 10:58 a.m. ET] The prosecuting attorney is now questioning Zimmerman. He asked whether Zimmerman had ever said he was sorry when he spoke to police. Zimmerman responded that he had told one of the investigators that "I felt sorry for the family."
The prosecutor told Zimmerman that if that's true, it must have been recorded. He asked Zimmerman if he was sure, and Zimmerman said he was "fairly certain."
A Florida judge Wednesday approved a motion to disqualify herself from the criminal case involving a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, according to the court.
The defense team for George Zimmerman requested Monday that Seminole Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler, who was assigned to Zimmerman's case, be removed after she revealed that her husband works with a CNN legal analyst.
Zimmerman's defense attorney, Mark O'Mara, had said Monday he was confident the motion would be granted.
Recksiedler said in her decision that while the findings on each basis were "legally insufficient" for disqualification, "the cumulative effect of the events and the totality of the circumstances provides a legally sufficient basis for this court to grant the motion to disqualify," a statement from the court said.
Zimmerman, 28, fatally shot Martin in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, a killing he has said was in self-defense. The case has stirred civil rights activists nationwide and drawn intense publicity.
FULL STORYAfter neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder in the February shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, the teen’s mother said she finally got what she asked for.
“Thank God. We simply wanted an arrest," Sybrina Fulton told reporters shortly after the charge was announced. "We wanted nothing more and nothing less, and we got it."
Fulton’s comments were among a wide range of reactions from people across the country who advocated for the arrest of Zimmerman, the 28-year-old man who claimed self-defense in Martin’s shooting and wasn’t charged until a special prosecutor’s review of the case.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who advocated for Martin’s arrest, said Wednesday that "there should be no high-fiving" over Zimmerman's charge. But he lauded the public pressure that he said caused Florida’s governor to order a prosecutor to review the case.
"If we did not get this far, we would condemn them," Sharpton said. "We must say that despite the fact that we are of ... different political persuasions ... we came together and said only the facts should matter."
[Updated at 2:01 p.m. ET] A solemn George Zimmerman, wearing gray jail coveralls, appeared before a Seminole County, Florida, judge Thursday, speaking only a few words as his arraignment was set for next month.
All matters including bond and further motions in the case will be handled by the circuit court, Judge Mark Herr said. The case will be assigned to Judge Jessica Recksiedler going forward.
As the short hearing was concluding, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, asked that records containing personal information on witnesses, including addresses and telephone numbers in some cases, be sealed. As nothing else besides the probable cause affidavit had been filed in court Thursday, Herr said Recksiedler will address a motion to seal the file.
O'Mara did not ask that Zimmerman be released on bond, although he said earlier in the day he wanted his client released as soon as possible.
He did note, however, that being out on bail could jeopardize Zimmerman's safety.
"I think nobody would deny the fact if George Zimmerman is walking down the street today, he would be at risk," he explained.
FULL STORYGeorge Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who says he was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, has been charged with murder in the second degree, special prosecutor Angela Corey told reporters Wednesday.
Read the charges (PDF) | Read Corey's remarks (PDF)
Corey said that Zimmerman has surrendered to authorities in Florida and has been arrested. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
Police say Zimmerman fatally shot Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, on February 26 in Sanford, Florida, after Martin began walking home from a convenience store. Zimmerman, who is Hispanic and was a neighborhood watch volunteer, had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood. He was released without charges after claiming self-defense, but the case was referred to Corey for a review as thousands converged on Sanford to join in protests calling for Zimmerman's arrest.
The following are running updates on the story:
[Updated at 7:30 p.m. ET] Zimmerman's new attorney, Mark O'Mara, said that he expects to file a motion seeking bond for Zimmerman on Thursday. Currently, Zimmerman is being held without opportunity for bond.
O'Mara told CNN by phone that he thinks Zimmerman is "troubled by the fact that the state decided to charge him," but that he "understands what is in front of him," and he's "doing OK."
At a news conference outside his office seconds later, O'Mara told reporters that Zimmerman voluntarily surrendered to Florida authorities, and that authorities were in the process of moving him to custody in Seminole County, Florida.
"He's concerned about getting a fair trial and a fair presentation," O'Mara said. "There's obviously been a lot of information flowing. I think a lot of it has been premature and inappropriate."
"The worst thing that can happen in this case is that it doesn't get tried properly," O'Mara said. "Give us our chance to do it the way it's supposed to be done."
On Tuesday, Zimmerman's former attorneys Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner told reporters they had lost contact with Zimmerman and no longer represent him.
iReport.com: What's your reaction?
[Updated at 7:04 p.m. ET] Sanford's mayor, Jeff Triplett, called "for continued calm in Sanford, its surrounding communities and around the nation."
"The case is in the hands of the justice system. Please allow it to work through the process and come to a natural conclusion," Triplett said in a news conference in Sanford, following Corey's announcement.
Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the February 26 shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, a Florida state attorney announced Wednesday. State attorney Angela Corey said Zimmerman had surrendered to authorities and had been arrested. As the news developed, readers engaged in powerful discussions on the live blog.
Please share your reaction in the comments area below and on CNN iReport.
Zimmerman charged with second-degree murder
Some of the conversation was about Corey's motives.
TP: "For claiming that George Zimmerman wouldn't be tried in the court of public opinion, Angela Corey seems to be running for office with that speech of hers more than prosecuting a case."
This person said an investigation is necessary.
Jeannie: "Now maybe justice can be served. Let the facts and evidence be presented in a court of law. I'm so sick of hearing people whine about race and some stupid pictures and how old they are in them. My question is, why wasn't the case properly investigated in the first place? Why did it take Al Sharpton and (Jesse Jackson) to come on to the scene to get the national attention? So he was charged and the evidence will be presented. Why anyone would be angry about this is beyond me. I'm white and I hear more white people angry as can be that he was charged ... I don't get it."
Some said they thought Corey was playing to public sentiment rather than the facts of the case. FULL POST
The special prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin shooting case has announced she has filed a charge of second-degree murder against George Zimmerman.
So, what did special prosecutor Angela Corey have to do legally to get here and what will happen next?
In Session's Beth Karas and Jessica Thrill break down the steps Corey took in order to file the charges and how the case will proceed from here.
STEP 1 – Now that Zimmerman is in custody, he has a “first appearance” before a judge
* Zimmerman had his first appearance at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
* First appearance hearings have to happen within 24 hours of someone’s arrest.
* The judge read the charges, so Zimmerman is clear about the crimes he is accused of.
* The judge addressed Zimmerman’s right to counsel. Zimmerman has hired Mark O’Mara.
STEP 2 – Zimmerman’s bond
* Second-degree murder is considered a “nonbondable” offense because the maximum penalty is life in prison.
* Both sides may have already agreed on a reasonable bond.
* But if they haven’t, then Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, can ask for an “Arthur hearing” in an attempt to get bond set.
* At the “Arthur hearing,” the burden is on the prosecutors to show that Zimmerman should not be given bond.
* This hearing is the opportunity for the defense to see the prosecution’s evidence against Zimmerman. So, we could get to hear some of the evidence that has not been disclosed.
STEP 3 – Arraignment
* The arraignment will likely happen within two to three weeks of the arrest.
* Zimmerman may or may not appear in open court for his arraignment.
* Zimmerman will be arraigned and must enter a plea on the charges, most likely “not guilty” (at this stage, defendants almost never plead guilty).
STEP 4 – Defense files a motion to dismiss based on “stand your ground” law
* Zimmerman is entitled to a pretrial evidentiary hearing on whether he can use the stand your ground immunity.
* The burden at that hearing is on the defense to prove by “a preponderance of the evidence” (meaning it’s more likely than not) that Zimmerman was justified in using deadly force.
– is not engaged in an unlawful activity;
– is being attacked in a place he/she has a right to be; and
– reasonably believes that his/her life and safety is in danger.
* The judge decides whether Zimmerman’s actions were justified and therefore entitle him to the stand your ground immunity.
* If the judge rules Zimmerman is immune, the prosecution can appeal that decision to a higher court.
A special prosecutor plans to release new information within days about the controversial case involving 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer.
Angela Corey said Tuesday the information will be released in the next three days. Her announcement came the same day that attorneys for George Zimmerman, who says he shot Martin in self-defense, told reporters they had lost contact with Zimmerman and no longer represent him.
"He has gone on his own. I'm not sure what he's doing or who he's talking to," said Craig Sonner, Zimmerman's former legal adviser. "If he wants us to come back as counsel, he will contact us."
FULL STORYTuesday's announcement by two lawyers that they're no longer representing George Zimmerman was a "bizarre episode" that might prompt a special prosecutor to move up her decision on whether to arrest him, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said.
The special prosecutor is trying to determine whether to charge the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer, who claimed he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February in self-defense.
“That was certainly one of the wackiest news conferences I have ever seen," Toobin said about Tuesday's announcement by attorneys Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner that they have withdrawn as counsel for Zimmerman. The attorneys said that they still believe Zimmerman's self-defense claim, but that they can't represent him because Zimmerman hasn't answered their messages since Sunday.
"I think they are obviously concerned about his well-being, but they are also, I think, potentially setting him up for an earlier arrest than they might have, because one of the reasons a prosecutor doesn't arrest someone right away is that the prosecutor is assured by the counsel that, 'Look, he'll surrender. He's not going anywhere,' " Toobin said. "At this point the lawyers don't know what he's doing, don't know where he is, and the prosecutor may say, ‘Look, I’d better arrest this person or he's going to be in the wind.’
"So I think this bizarre episode might accelerate the prosecutor's timetable if, in fact, she's going to arrest him.”
The following are details from a press conference by the former attorneys for George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who authorities say fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Florida. The attorneys said Tuesday that they're no longer representing him, because they have lost contact with him.
Zimmerman's attorneys, Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner, said that Zimmerman has taken a number of steps without them since Sunday, but that they would be willing to represent him again if he asked them.
[Updated at 5:29 p.m. ET] The news conference has finished. The attorneys used much of it to continue to argue that Zimmerman acted in self-defense in the shooting, which police said happened after Zimmerman had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in his neighborhood in Sanford, Florida.
Uhrig said Zimmerman's account of his February 26 confrontation with Trayvon Martin was that Martin became the aggressor when Zimmerman asked Martin what he was doing, and that Martin hit Zimmerman in the nose.
The crime that was committed that night, Uhrig said, was battery against George Zimmerman.
[Updated at 5:20 p.m. ET] Uhrig and Sonner have said several times that they believe the evidence in the Trayvon Martin shooting, including forensics, will show that Zimmerman was acting in self-defense.
"We still, frankly, are optimistic there will never be a need for him to turn himself in," Uhrig said.
"There's no evidence since the day the Earth cooled whatsoever that George Zimmerman ever has been racially motivated," Uhrig added.
Some supporters of Trayvon Martin, who was black, say they wonder whether Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, was motivated by race. Uhrig said that Zimmerman is not racist.
[Updated at 5:13 p.m. ET] Uhrig and Sonner said they have yet to meet Zimmerman in person, and through Sunday had contacted him only by phone, texts and e-mails.
Sonner said he is "reasonably sure" he knows where Zimmerman is, adding that his former client is somewhere in the United States.
Uhrig said that people who were hunting for Zimmerman "can stop looking in Florida."
[Updated at 5:08 p.m. ET] Uhrig said that pressure might have "pushed him a little over the edge and (he) thought, 'I'm going to take care of it myself."
"Our thought process is, we're professionals. We do this for a living. We try to do a good job of it, but we are not going to put ourselves out to the public ... unless he makes it clear to us that he wants us as his lawyers," Uhrig said.
[Updated at 5:02 p.m. ET] Uhrig said Zimmerman has taken his own steps since they lost contact with him on Sunday, including:
– Setting up his own website under a different Web address than what the attorneys had arranged with him.
– Speaking to Fox News' Sean Hannity by phone, apparently off the record. "(Hannity) is not willing to tell us what our client told him."
– Calling the special prosecutor's office directly, as opposed to through his attorneys, and offering to come in and answer investigators' questions. The prosecutor's office told Zimmerman that they weren't going to talk to him without counsel, Uhrig said.
[Updated at 4:52 p.m. ET] Uhrig said he and Sonner still stand by what they've said previously in defense of Zimmerman. Sonner said he still believes Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense.
[Updated at 4:49 p.m. ET] The attorneys for George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who authorities say fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Florida, say they're no longer representing him, because they have lost contact with him.
Attorneys Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig say they last had contact with Zimmerman on Sunday. Since then, Zimmerman hasn't returned their phone calls or text messages, they told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
"He has gone on his own. I don't know what he's doing or who he's talking to," Sonner said. "... “I cannot represent a client who doesn’t stay in contact with me.”
Sonner said he and Uhrig would resume representing Zimmerman if he asks them.
[Initial post, 4:22 p.m. ET] The attorneys for neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who authorities say fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Florida, are expected to speak to the news media about the case Tuesday afternoon.
Watch this page for developments.
Police say Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, on February 26 in Sanford, Florida, after Martin began walking home from a convenience store. Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood.
Zimmerman told Sanford police the shooting was self-defense, and Zimmerman was released without charges. Authorities have said Zimmerman was not immediately charged because there were no grounds, at the outset, to disprove his account that he'd acted to protect himself.
But thousands have converged on Sanford to join in protests calling for Zimmerman's arrest and criticizing the police department's handling of the case. Martin's death has triggered a nationwide debate about race in America and Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows people to use deadly force anywhere they feel a reasonable threat of death or serious injury.
A special prosecutor is investigating the case, and has not indicated when she will decide whether to file charges.
[Updated at 12:11 p.m. ET] State Attorney Angela Corey, appointed as a special prosecutor in the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has decided against sending the case to a grand jury, her office said Monday.
"The decision should not be considered a factor in the final determination of the case," Corey's office said in a statement.
The grand jury, set to convene on Tuesday, was previously scheduled by the former prosecutor.
Corey previously said she has not used grand jury's in cases like this and added that from the time she was appointed she said she may not need a grand jury.
The decision about whether or not to charge George Zimmerman in the case now rests with prosecutors.
"At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment from this office," in the statement.
The decision means that the timetable for any possible charges remains up in the air.
"We had hoped she had enough evidence without the need to convene a grand jury,” Ben Crump, the attorney for the Martin family said about Corey. “The family is trying to have patience and faith through all of this."
Crump said they are hoping for charges and an arrest as soon as possible.
"We know we want that day to come,” Crump said. “We want a very public trial so the evidence can come out and show people that the justice system works for everybody."
Crump added that he believed the evidence that has come out has “made it clear” that charges should be filed, without the need of a grand jury.
George Zimmerman's new attorney, Hal Uhrig, told CNN that he was "not surprised" by the announcement.
Uhrig said he doesn't know what her ultimate decision will be but that the move to go without a grand jury is a "courageous move on her part."
Martin ventured out from his father's fiancee's home in Sanford to get a snack at a nearby convenience store. As he walked home with a bag of Skittles and an Arizona iced tea, he was shot and killed by Zimmerman.
Sanford police questioned Zimmerman and released him without charges.
From there, the case has evolved into opposing allegations from Zimmerman's supporters, Martin's family and authorities.
Zimmerman says he killed Martin in self-defense after the teen punched him and slammed his head on the sidewalk, according to an Orlando Sentinel report that was later confirmed by Sanford police.
The case has triggered a nationwide debate about Florida's "stand your ground" law - which allows people to use deadly force anywhere they feel a reasonable threat of death or serious injury - and race in America.
Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
Against the backdrop of the Trayvon Martin case, CNN is taking a look at race in America. We asked readers to post short video comments answering the question of whether racism still exists and where it comes from, in response to the commissioned study about children and race.
"AC 360°" study: African-American children more optimistic on race than whites
CNN.com readers had a lot to say about the study. We got a number of fascinating responses that branched in three distinct directions.
1. We need to look at the black community's leadership
Jerome Almon of Detroit says he used to be a political science lecturer. He says the black community needs new leadership and is not served well by the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Russell Simmons and Spike Lee. He said he believes these men should be viewed with more skepticism.
"How do Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton make a living?" He asked. "You see them after a tragedy takes place." FULL POST
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