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.
Reblogged this on teesepowell and commented:
Zimmerman gets $150K Bail, No Skittles or Ice-Tea Until Trial
1. witness saw Martin on top of Zimmerman. 2. Zimmerman had visible sighs of injury to the back of his head.
Zimmerman will be acquitted. Unfortunately some people will not like the out come.
I saw the witness on TV. Many people talk without hearing the details. The witness who was a black man said Martin was on top of Zimmerman hitting him before he shot him. Good luck with that skittles fans.
pipsqueak with a gun ..
Here's the sad part. Even though Trayvon Martin may have not have been necessarily a "model citizen", George Zimmerman "made himself" his own worst enemy. He don't impress you, and he doesn't impress me.
Instead of charging him with 1st degree premeditated murder, our liberal ruling class system gave him second degree murder status. So regardless of how they send him up, he probably won't live six months after he's gets into the joint.
The flip side? If he makes bail, and he might, he'll probably be taken out vigilante execution style, he won't see his first appearance. And the person capping him? They probably wouldn't mind being sent up for taking out a murderer. That's how it is.
Ive only read two of your posts, but i had to stop. You are the epitimi of the thug culture that molded this boy and got him killed. You just keep acting tough and rebelling against society, im quite sure you speak about the joint from experiece. I bet they miss you there.........do what you do and go back. We will all feel safer.
Okay, this can be argued back and forth until the moon falls, but it won't correct what he did. Let him have street justice. Find him not guilty and turn him loose on the streets. He obviously likes the idea of being a vigilante. Let him see how it feels on the other end. Let him be stalked by another vigilante and feel the fear I'm sure Trayvon felt that night. He won't be able to hide forever and that fear will eat at his gut.
I am so disgusted with reading some of these comments. A 17 yr old young man minding his own business was killed and a few of you evil minded folks care more about the rights and justice for Zimmerman. SAD! ???? 1). Did Zimmerman identify himself as a crime watch person? 2). Was Zimmerman authorized to even be in possession of a weapon? 3). If Zimmerman was told to stay in his vehicle minutes before the so call attack, then how did Trayvon get shot a great distance away from where Zimmerman's vehicle was located? George Zimmerman is GUILTY of Murder, and should be held to the same fate as Trayvon Martin. And to the Zimmerman family. Please. You are just as clueless as anybody else is to believe the BS, that you are ranting about. When George Zimmerman pulled the trigger from a concealed place on his body, he already had the state of mind that this individual he came in contact with was going to die. One can apologize for not playing the correct lotto numbers. You still have another chance to play and win. Apologizing for taking a life. Sorry, the words might sound good, but it don't mean a thing.
Out of all the statements and comments Zimmerman has made he did not once say he took measures to identify himself as a neighborhood watch representative to Trayvon. Bottom line he had no right to kill this boy and he didn't do anything to prevent it.
In the 911 call, Zimmerman describes Trayvon as being in his late teens. NOW...he says he thought he was just a little younger than he is. Isn't he, like 35? So.....HE'S LYING
@ una amiga:
No, Zimmerman is not like 35.
He's like 26 or 28.
Martin was like 17. That's "a little younger," especially as teenagers appear and are more mature and experienced in 2012 than they appeared and were in 1959.
People are missing the fundamental facts: As a resident of a gated community, you become familiar with every person/vehicle/etc that neighbor you and know they are part of the association. When you see an anomoly (aka strange person/vehicle) ESPECIALLY at dusk, you have every right to question their presence and how they got through the gates. Remember, this was PRIVATE property, not public and Martin, by being a visitor at his father's girlfriend's home, was not a resident, even indirectly (remember, he lived with his mom in the Miami area.) and therefore subject to being followed/questioned by Zimmerman or any other resident of the community for that matter. If Martin did lash out, as it appears, then Zimmerman was completely justified in utilizing whatever means he had available for self defense. People need to understand, if you attack someone for whatever reason, you do so knowing full well that you may pay for your actions with your own life.
At LAST, someone with a sense of logic....
I know, right?
Convicted or not all we want is Justice. I'm black and i don't wish this man dead or any hateful thoughts. I just feel that the police found out who Zimmerman was and was afraid to move forward with the case. I dont think the police cared that Martin was black. It was that Zimmerman was a Judge's Son which caused the lack of an investigating. Its the Good old Boy network. You take care of me and I take care of you. The police realize it was a mistake to not charge him after hearing the outcry which cause the case to move forward. If the police had any brain they would have charged Zimmerman with manslaughter and hoped for the best and this case would have never hit the media.
My question is if my "innocent child" went to the store and did not return home it would not take me long to know he didn't bring home his skittles! Why did it take his parents so long to realize he did not come home? Unless he didn't come home from buying skittles on a regular basis?
Maybe they stopped keeping a close eye on him. He was there because he was suspended from school for having marijuana residue in a bag in his backpack. You think residue, no big deal. Before that he was caught with a screwdriver and women's jewelry, and graffiti. From what I read he had a juvenile record. I cannot verify as truth, just what I read from a media report. I know that these do not sound like much, but to a person who has worked with troubled teens for over 10 years, those are the beginning signs of a youth headed down the wrong path. They have a saying that most thieves start out by stealing small, like candy, then they steal bigger and more. It might be that the parents were beginning to get frustrated with his increasingly bad behavior. I know most parents do. Why he was not grounded to the house or not watched more closely after the trouble he was getting in, we will not know. From the warning signs, I think Trayvon had something to prove and had angry issues. That is just from what I have gathered from what I see in other teens.
What I am curious about is , Trayvon is on the telephone with his girlfriend who knows that Trayvon is being followied by a strange person, she hears them confront each other, she hears something that sounds like a push and his phone goes dead. She calls him back and he doesn't answer. What does she do absolutely nothing. She doesn't call 911 and tell them what has just happened, please send someone to check on my friend. She doesn't call his dad, or mother, she doesn't get off of the phone and go say to her mother;, I was on the phone with Trayvon and he was being followed by a man, I heard them talking and then someone pushed Trayvon and now he's not answering his phone. This woman is a mother herself, so those motherly instincts would have kicked in and she would have called 911. Something ain't right here.
Maybe he was buying something else too!!!!! What about all the "issues with Trayvon.....trouble in school......possession of drugs........etc. Why are we not hearing about all that. Personally I know I am not the only one tired of this "news". Let's put it to rest already.........it is not a hate crime. My vote is Zimmerman is truly sorry for the outcome.......but was defending himself. How about putting something NEWSWORTHY in the news.......
What about our troops........is that all over the news stations.........NO!!!!!!!
No one here can be sure of who did what, and no one here should act as they do... Honestly people are so easy to be manipulated in to believing in stuff, some of the comments here just make me laugh.... WHat the ... marches in the street????
Calm down people, all you do is bring more of this anger back in... I understand your urges to succeed in your own belief but do not be this easy to manipulate... Have a bit of character.
When it comes to the case, I feel that both parties had mistakes, however in the end if the kid has jumped on the guy and pinned him down. Bashing his head to the concrete, well than the guy had to stop him... So it all comes down to whether or not the kid really did that... If he really did that, think about what you will be ranting about if the guy did not have a gun and got smashed out of his brains on the sidewalk by a kid.... Than all of you will be 100% manipulated to support "stand your ground" laws, right? Honestly ask yourself this........
Actually, in court, in just comes down to whether a jury believes there was a strong chance he jumped him and bashed his head on the sidewalk. Reasonable doubt. Cosidering he had injuries according to the leaked police reports, and a 911 caller is certain he saw it happening, it looks like he'll be found not guilty. The only way he'll be found guilty is if the police reports and 911 caller are 100 % debunked. I don't see how that will happen. And no, the police station security video doesn't do it.
If Martin did bash Zimmerman's head into the concrete, perhaps Martin was defending himself against Zimmerman. The way I see it, Zimmerman started this by chasing the minor. Had Zimmerman allowed the police to do their job; this never would have happened. Where is Martin's right to stand his ground?
Thank you for such a clear, logically, and rational voice. We could use say 2.2 million more to start thinking more clearly. We have a legal system for a reason. I thought lynch mobs were a thing of the past. I was starting to get comfortable again since the beating of Reginald Denning, but now because of the radicals who wish to force our legal system to imprison a person without a trial, and treats of black violence, .......I worry.
Patty, 1st, follow is not chase, 2nd, adults rights supersede minor rights. The911 caller says he saw the attack. It is clear that martin had a juvie record. The shadow of doubt is evident, he should be free.
So if I do not think like you.I am stupid! America is home of the free. That is what I fought for when I was in the Navy. We can feel what we want and do what we want as well.
Dear Public:
Remember Casey Anthony and O.J. Simpson.
The End.
Please remember that YOU are an idiot.
Thanks.
I appreciate that xfilescase.
I merely meant that the court of public opinion if frequently wrong.
Oh, and that you're a troll.
I think you meant Duke Lacrosse
IF all the facts are as Zimmerman says and Martin attacked him as he started back to his car then he will be found not guilty. What do you think is going to happen in Sanford? Since this is suppose to be a civilized nation and not a 3rd world country hopefully the other side will accept it and move on. But I don't think that will happen – if not we need to tighten up our law enforcement.
America is a Third world country with racist like you and most white Americans on this website, 2 justice system one for the black and one for the white get over yourself america is a bully on it;s on people especially minorities
Yo?
Is that you?
😀
Hope so!