After 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."
[Updated at 10:55 a.m. ET] "I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son," Zimmerman said on the stand, apparently addressing Martin's parents, who are in the room. (Watch video of apology)
Zimmerman also said he thought Martin was older, and that he "didn't know if (Martin) was armed or not."
[Updated at 10:54 a.m. ET] Zimmerman is about the address the court. His attorney has called him to the stand.
[Updated at 10:53 a.m. ET] The prosecuting attorney, after saying "I didn't know we were going to be trying the case today," is back to ask questions of state attorney's investigator Dale Gilbreath, after O'Mara asked questions challenging the state's assertions.
The prosecutor asked Gilbreath whether there was any evidence indicating that Zimmerman's account that Martin bashed his head against a sidewalk wasn't true. Gilbreath said yes.
[Updated at 10:47 a.m. ET] O'Mara is back to questioning state attorney's investigator Dale Gilbreath, one of the investigators in the case.
O'Mara asked whether Gilbreath knows who started the fight between Zimmerman and Martin, or had any evidence as to who started the fight. Gilbreath said no.
O'Mara asked whether Gilbreath had any evidence contradicting Zimmerman's statement to Sanford police on the night of the incident that Zimmerman: 1) turned toward his car after losing sight of Martin; and 2) that Martin started the fight that led to the shooting. Gilbreath said no.
[Updated at 10:36 a.m. ET] A prosecuting attorney is now questioning state attorney's investigator Dale Gilbreath, after Zimmerman's attorney took issue with wording in a probable cause affidavit that Gilbreath had signed. Gilbreath is one of the investigators in the Martin shooting case.
Like O'Mara, the prosecuting attorney is asking Gilbreath about the affidavit, and about evidence that Gilbreath collected. The general thrust of the questioning is designed to bolster the affidavit's credibility, after O'Mara questioned word choices in the affidavit.
Gilbreath testified he has reviewed other evidence documents other than what has been discussed in the hearing. The prosecutor asked Gilbreath whether Martin had a right to be in the neighborhood - Gilbreath said yes. Gilbreath also was asked if there was no evidence that Martin was committing any crime, and again Gilbreath said yes.
[Updated at 10:28 a.m. ET] O'Mara still is questioning state attorney's investigator Dale Gilbreath about the way that the probable cause affidavit - which supported the second-degree murder charge - was written.
O'Mara is now taking issue with a line that says Zimmerman "disregarded" a police dispatcher. On the tape that has been released to the public, Zimmerman indicated that he was following Martin, and the dispatcher said that authorities didn't need Zimmerman to do that.
O'Mara, through his questioning of Gilbreath, is basically suggesting that "disregarded" was the wrong word, because Zimmerman did not hang up with the dispatcher, and therefore did not disregard him.
O'Mara also is taking issue with the affidavit saying that Zimmerman "confronted" Martin. O'Mara is contending that Gilbreath has offered no evidence that Zimmerman confronted Martin, and that other, less antagonistic words, should have been used since Gilbreath had no evidence that Zimmerman confronted him. Such words, O'Mara said, would be "came up to," or "spoke with."
[Updated at 10:19 a.m. ET] O'Mara, while questioning state attorney's investigator Dale Gilbreath, is now taking issue with other language choices in the probable cause affidavit.
O'Mara has noted that the only two quotes in the affidavit from Zimmerman - taken from a police call that Zimmerman made to notify police that he had seen a suspicious person - are of Zimmerman using expletives. O'Mara asked why - out of everything Zimmerman said - only those two quotes were included in the affidavit.
Gilbreath responded that he didn't type the affidavit. O'Mara pointed out that Gilbreath swore to it, and Gilbreath agreed that he had.
[Updated at 10:14 a.m. ET] O'Mara, while questioning state attorney's investigator Dale Gilbreath, has taken issue with the word "profiled" in the probable cause affidavit supporting the second-degree murder charge.
The affidavit, which Gilbreath had signed, says that Zimmerman profiled Martin. O'Mara asked why the affidavit says profiled, rather than "noticed" or "saw." Gilbreath said he couldn't remember who wrote the word, saying it was a collaborative document.
[Updated at 10:09 a.m. ET] O'Mara has called Dale Gilbreath, an investigator with the state attorney's office, to the stand. Gilbreath is one of the investigators in the Martin shooting case.
Gilbreath has indicated that he didn't expect to testify today.
[Updated at 10:05 a.m. ET] O'Mara asked Zimmerman's mother whether she has come to know her son as someone who comes to the defense of people. She said yes.
She said he has stood up for children and homeless people in and around his community. She also testified that he had been a mentor for two African American children.
[Updated at 10:04 a.m. ET] O'Mara asked Zimmerman's mother about Zimmerman's previous charge of battery against a law enforcement officer. She said that Zimmerman was involved in an altercation with a plainclothes ATF agent because he was coming to the defense of a friend, who was being roughed up. The officer didn't identify himself as a law enforcement officer, she said.
[Updated at 10:02 a.m. ET] Zimmerman's mother, like his father and wife earlier this morning, said that if Zimmerman is released on bond, his location and the places where he would be allowed to go should be kept secret, because he and the family have received threats.
[Updated at 9:53 a.m. ET] O'Mara has now called Zimmerman's mother to the phone.
[Updated at 9:51 a.m. ET] Now being questioned by O'Mara, Zimmerman's father testified about Zimmerman's appearance after the February 26 shooting. The father said Zimmerman's face was swollen "quite a bit," had a protective cover over his nose, and had two vertical gashes on the back of his head.
According to an Orlando Sentinel story later confirmed by Sanford police, Zimmerman told authorities that after he called 911 about a suspicious person (later identified as Martin), and after he briefly lost track of Martin, the teen approached him. After the two exchange words, Zimmerman said, he reached for his cell phone, and then Martin punched him in the nose. Zimmerman said Martin pinned him to the ground and began slamming his head into the sidewalk.
[Updated at 9:47 a.m. ET] The prosecution is asking Zimmerman's father about Zimmerman's previous charge of battery against a law enforcement officer, basically having the father acknowledge that he knows Zimmerman faced that charge. Like the exchange that the prosecution had with Zimmerman's wife a few minutes ago, they went over the fact that Zimmerman took anger management classes as a result of that charge, which was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.
[Updated at 9:41 a.m. ET] O'Mara is asking Zimmerman's father about his financial ability to help post bond. The father, who said he was retired, said he and his wife have some savings, but very little. He said he had a mortgaged home, and that he was willing to secure the home as part of a bond arrangement.
[Updated at 9:39 a.m. ET] O'Mara is now questioning Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman Sr., who, like Zimmerman's wife, is testifying by phone. A notary public has sworn Robert Zimmerman in.
[Updated at 9:36 a.m. ET] O'Mara questioned Zimmerman's wife about the previous allegations against Zimmerman - including a charge of battery on a law enforcement officer and an altercation with a woman - that the prosecuting attorney brought up. Through questioning, Zimmerman's wife testified that the battery charge was reduced to a misdemeanor through a pretrial diversion program in which he took anger management classes, and that she believes he completed those classes. She also testified that in the altercation with the woman, Zimmerman was not arrested, and that the woman attacked Zimmerman and drew blood, and that as a result, Zimmerman got an injunction against that woman.
[Updated at 9:30 a.m. ET] The prosecuting attorney summed up the previous allegations - including the charge of battery on a law enforcement officer - and then asked Zimmerman's wife whether she still believes Zimmerman isn't a danger to the community. "Absolutely he is not a violent person,” nor is he a threat to the community, she responded.
[Updated at 9:24 a.m. ET] The prosecution is now questioning Zimmerman's wife about her assertion that Zimmerman poses no danger to the community. The prosecuting attorney is pointing out that Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder, and that Zimmerman is accused of a violent act.
The prosecuting attorney also is asking Zimmerman's wife about his previous brushes with the law, including a charge of battery of a law enforcement officer. He also brought up a woman's previous allegations that the woman and Zimmerman were in an altercation - Zimmerman's wife answered that she is aware that Zimmerman needed to defend himself from an attack by the woman, that the woman drew blood, and that Zimmerman filed for a protective order because of the incident. The prosecutor is asking her whether she is aware of those charges and allegations in the past, and she said she is.
[Updated at 9:20 a.m. ET] Zimmerman's wife said she fears for Zimmeran's safety and the safety of their family, and that is part of the reason why she is testifying by phone.
Asked if she believes Zimmerman is a danger to society, she said no. She said she has "no concerns whatsoever" about him.
[Updated at 9:18 a.m. ET] O'Mara is asking Zimmerman's wife about the family's financial ability to post bond. O'Mara is saying that Zimmerman is indigent; Zimmerman's wife said that she has talked to other family members about scraping up everything they could in anticipation of posting bond.
[Updated at 9:15 a.m. ET] With Zimmerman's wife on speakerphone, O'Mara has begun asking her questions. Asked if she would do everything in her power to ensure that Zimmerman - should he be granted bail - return to court when he is required to do so, she said yes. And she said she would contact the court if she lost contact with him.
[Updated at 9:11 a.m. ET] The court has called Zimmerman's wife on the phone. A notary public is with Mrs. Zimmerman and is swearing her in.
[Updated at 9:08 a.m. ET] Lester has begun the proceeding. After the attorneys identified themselves to the judge, O'Mara kicked off the bond request and told the judge that witnesses are available by phone. The court is calling those witnesses now. As we noted earlier, Zimmerman's family has offered to give testimony by phone.
[Updated at 9:04 a.m. ET] Zimmerman, wearing a dark gray suit, white shirt and light gray tie, has entered the courtroom and has seated himself next to O'Mara.
[Updated at 9:00 a.m. ET] Martin's parents are, indeed, in the courtroom, and they've taken their seats. O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, also is standing the courtroom, waiting for the proceeding to begin.
[Updated at 8:59 a.m. ET] Check out this piece on why evidence in the case may come up in the bond hearing. The prosecutor, Corey, has the burden of showing why bond should not be set or that it should be high. The burden is referred to as "proof of guilt is evident or presumption of guilt is great." Corey would have to convince Lester that a jury would convict Zimmerman.
[Updated at 8:55 a.m. ET] The bond hearing is expected to begin in minutes. Martin's parents are expected to be at the hearing, and this would be the first time that they and Zimmerman are in the same room, CNN's Martin Savidge tells us from the site.
O'Mara filed a motion that asks the court to allow Zimmerman's family members to provide testimony at the bond hearing by telephone. The state attorney's office did not object.
I sure hope the State has better evidence than what we've seen so far. I'm glad they are going to release him on bond .... it would not be justice to keep him behind bars based on the flimsy evidence that was presented today, or the poorly written, one sided avadvit that was also exposed this morning!!
Sounds like the judge is a fair and reasonable judge, which is what I read he was known to be. I think 2nd degree murder is a little too extreme in this case, but I also think the old saying "It takes two to tango" applies here. Let's hope the jury turns out to be as fair and level headed as the judge and that reason and justice prevails.
99.9% of White Amerikkka Is Happy That Zimmerman Got Out On Bond and He Will be Acquitted! Pure Evil...Sad But Historical Truth!!
Your comment is seeping racism.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
ZIMMERMAN IS NOT WHITE, HE'S BROWN. LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU BRAINWASHED LEMMING.
V
Absolutely. White Americans all care about random Hispanic guys in Florida.
Fear kills.
To many racist saying your sorry for murdering a black person is enough and like Rev. Huckabee said blacks should go to church and pray and move on until the next black kid is killed. George's Father got him out of battery on a police officer and attacking a woman by having him go to anger management classes. Who knows maybe he could again go to anger management classes for murder.
...which makes you wonder HOW he was allowed to own a gun in the first place. If all that is true, he was a charged explosive waiting for a lighter and putting a gun in his hand was the stupidest think society has done in a while.
Crump needs to keep his mouth shut.
He is stirring up the community for possible violence.
Uh, when did they criminalize killing Black Children in The South? Why break from a Centuries Old Tradition?
I am sure you would have no problem with this bail if it was a drug dealer killing a rival drug dealer. Why does this bother you so?
He was paranoid and dangerous before. He will be worse now. I truly believe he has a screw loose and will continue to be dangerous because of the way he perceives the world.
America is MUCH safer with Zimm on the streets; he'll protect us from the skittles and ice tea crooks. In case you all didn't know....skittles and iced tea is the new WMD.
You are such a MORON
Well, you can kiss George Zimmerman goodbye. You will NEVER lay eyes on him ever again.
His war chest can cough up that paltry amount in a heartbeat; and the rest of the money will hide that killer away for a long while.
Sorry, Florida; you screwed up.
You couldn't be more wrong and here's why...."O'Mara asked whether Gilbreath had any evidence contradicting Zimmerman's statement to Sanford police on the night of the incident that Zimmerman 1) turned toward his car after losing sight of Martin; and 2) that Martin started the fight that led to the shooting. Gilbreath said no."
That statement will be the death blow to this case. All the defense has to do at trial is introduce solid reasonable doubt and the prosecution witness just served it up for them.
Did you see how the prosecution had nothing this morning? The case was completely overcharged and Zimmerman is free. ...just as he should be.
He's not FREE....HE'S OUT ON BAIL....sheesh!!
SO NO MATTER WHAT HIS BOND IS HE CAN BUILD A WEBSITE FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE DONATIONS TO HELP PAY FOR A LAWYER BECAUSE HE CANT BUT HE CAN AFFORD TO POST BOND.....HE IS CRAZY AND ANYONE WHO DONATES A DAMN DIME TO HIS WEBSITE IS JUST AS CRAZY...HIS WIFE BETTER FIND A JOB...BECAUSE HER HUSBAND WONT BE WORK FOR A LONGGGGGGGG TIME THATS FOR SURE....
amanda
you're a moron. i'll be donating to his website in a few minutes. hopefully he'll write a book about how he was wrongly convicted by the media and the naacp and make millions. people like you are worthless members of society.
I donated $2000 to it this morning. I feel bad for Zimmerman. The public hanged him before he even went to trial.
he will enjoy being the volunteer again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,soon,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
yeah,,,,,,cheers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
blacks are destroying this country plain and simple. they make up 13% of the population yet account for 46% of public assistance. 13% of the population yet make up 70% of the prison population in this country. black neighborhoods have higher crime rates and lower property values. any white neighborhood that allows subsidized housing eventually turns into a ghetto. crime increases and whites move out and property becomes worthless because no one wants to live or work there. think these statements are racist? nope, they're fact. look it up. any city where the majority of the population is black has tons of problems. compare that to a mostly white suburb that hasn't been infiltrated and you'll see a stark contrast.
If some of what u say is true. DOES THAT GIVE ANY OF U RACIST THE RIGHT TO MURDER UNARMED BLACK KIDS OR PEOPLE
Although your data is mostly correct you probaby should do some research into the social and economic causes of crime as well. May also want to look at the sentencing descrepancies between males/females, black/whites, wealthy/poor. Before making the assumption that Blacks are bad you should do more homework. To generalize against an entire race who had to have special laws passed to be recongized as people in the first place is a questionable.
What is sooooooo sad about your view is this: When Europeans came to the realization that they were lazy and did not want to work hard to gain personal profit, they decided to make those less greedy and underhanded to work for them. Many a white person has profitted from the ideas, and personal belongings of others. How the hell do you discover land when you have natives already living there? Then come up with the scheme of having free labor, while systematically brainwashing "Blacks" who aren't accustomed to a new environment, that they are all inhuman and literally aren't worth anything but to be slaves.
Since you are so knowledgeable, can you tell me what native African asked to willfully come to America, be dehumanized and humiliated on levels you couldn't imagine, have little to nothing to live on to prosper in life, and actually be okay with that? Whites created an image and thinking about a race, without any kind of remorse at all!!! And I take great offense to that, because I am Black and very proud of that fact!!!!!! Here's a bit of knowledge for you, in Birth of a Nation, the racism is so prevalent, whites actually were in "Black face" to portray Blacks in the way "they" thought was right. At the end of the day, Zimmerman was wrong, and you need to read more!!!!!
What is telling is that while on the stand Zimmerman said the he didn't know if Trayvon had a gun.
Though this makes Trayvon not to be a imminent threat, Zimmerman still followed Trayvon after being told not to, a struggle ensued because Trayvon was defending himself, Trayvon saw the gun, screamed for help, a gun shot was heard, and the sceaming stopped,
Finally...someone gets the story right....
Ok let's stop with the twisting of the facts. At no time did the dispatcher give Zimmerman an order to stop following Martin. The statement made by the dispatcher was "we don't need you to do that". Telling someone "we don't need you to do that" and "stop doing that" are two different things.
So you were there and know this for a fact? Shouldn't you be at this hearing then and not so much posting your garbage online? SHAT UP!!!
Listen to the 911 call. Look at the layout of the apartment complex and where the event occured compared to where Martin was first spotted and where Zimmerman's truck was parked and where Martin's apartment was. In the 911 call it's pretty obvious that Zimmerman indeed stopped following Martin when he was told it wasn't needed and if you look at the layout of the complex and the position of the crime compared to what I described above, the only logical conclusion is that Martin came back to confront Zimmerman. Zimmerman lost sight of Martin during the 911 call. Now who started the fight? I don't know but if it was Martin then Zimmerman was justified in what he did. Just because someone followed you doesn't give you the right to come back and start bashing their head in the ground.
That little story of yours is fine, but will come nowhere near convicting Zimmerman.
NC1965: I love how you make a blanket statement about blacks...let me guess, you have met all 13 million of us!! First of all, I think all of us can take blame for the moral decay of this country. The majority of people in prison are in fact white not black. I suggest you travel outside of your community and come to suburban neighborhoods in and around DC...quite common to find all black neighborhoods complete with 2 parent households, maninured lawns...all within a gated a community. When you demonize a group of people based on your limited experience, you in fact become the problem. I could just as easy point to the fact that most mass school shootings are committed by white teens, serial killers...white men, meth labs...white people, majority of people of welfare...white people. What's the point? It does not respresent all white people, just like your assertions (albeit wrong) do not apply to the majority of blacks. I encourage you to stop believing the hype. There are bad apples in every bunch and we have more in common than different.
It's truly makes one wonder, if Trayvon Martin was a white kid would you Pro-George Zimmerman supporters be this sympatheic with him? HMMMMM....NOT!
I would!!! A thug is a thug, doesn't matter what skin tone the thug has! For you naieve people, thugs come in every color!