George Zimmerman’s Bail Set At $1 Million
Posted by Media Outrage on July 5th, 2012
A Judge set George Zimmerman’s bail at $1 million
SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) – A Florida judge set bond at $1 million on Thursday for George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed unarmed blackteenager Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman had been released after posting $150,000 bond but was sent back to jail in April after prosecutors alleged he misled the court about his finances.
Circuit Judge Kennedy Lester said the higher bond amount was necessary to ensure Zimmerman would show up for trial on second-degree murder charges.
“The increased bail is not a punishment; It is meant to allay this court’s concern that the defendant intended to flee the jurisdiction and a lesser amount would not ensure his presence in court,” Lester wrote in his eight-page order.
The judge imposed numerous restrictions. He said that if released from jail again, Zimmerman must submit to electronic monitoring, remain in Seminole County, stay away from the Orlando-Sanford International Airport, refrain from applying for a passport or opening or maintaining a bank account, avoid alcohol and obey a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Zimmerman is charged in the February 26 shooting death of 17-year-old Martin in a gated community in the central Florida city of Sanford.
Martin’s killing drew national attention because police initially failed to arrest Zimmerman. They cited Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” self-defense law and Zimmerman’s claim that he used deadly force because he believed his life was being threatened by Martin.
Zimmerman was later arrested and released on bond but the judge ordered him back to jail in April after finding Zimmerman and his wife had misled the court to believe they were indigent. At his first bond hearing on April 20, Zimmerman sat silently as his wife told the court the couple had no money.
Shellie Zimmerman was charged with perjury after investigators learned the couple had raised at least $135,000 from a PayPal account set up to collect donations for Zimmerman’s legal defense and living expenses.
The two were recorded during jail house phone calls in which they discussed moving the money among accounts, transactions that prosecutors called a deliberate attempt to deceive.
Prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda said that showed Zimmerman was untrustworthy and asked that he be denied bond.
Defense lawyer Mark O’Mara said Zimmerman posed no risk of harm to the community and portrayed the case against him as weak.
MediaOutrage- Now that’s more in the financial neighborhood of a murder suspect. What are your thoughts on the $1 Million bail???
