George Zimmerman makes first court appearance
George Zimmerman seen here after his arrest on April 11, 2012. Zimmerman’s arrest follows weeks of anger and debate throughout the country in response to the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman’s attorney said his client would plead not guilty and invoke Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which gives people wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat during a fight.
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in Florida on Feb. 26, made his first appearance in a Florida court today, 24 hours after he was arrested.
The judge said the next court hearing will be on May 29 and agreed with attorneys to seal the case records, the Washington Post reported.
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Zimmerman was charged with murder in the second degree for shooting Martin, who was unarmed. He maintains that he shot Martin in self-defense. Under Florida law, second-degree murder refers to a killing that is not premeditated but is carried out with “a depraved mind regardless of human life.”
In a probable cause affidavit obtained by the The Orlando Sentinel, police say they believe Zimmerman pursued and confronted Martin, whose mother identified a voice crying out for help on a recording of the incident as that of her son.
"Martin was on the phone with a friend and described to her what was happening. The witness advised that Martin was scared because he was being followed through the complex by an unknown male and didn't know why," the affidavit said, as quoted by MSNBC.
In telephone call with police, Zimmerman said Martin appeared to be one of many wayward characters responsible for recent neighborhood break-ins, describing "these f—ing punks" and "these a–holes" who "always get away."
Though there was no application for bail during Thursday's hearing, it is likely that Zimmerman's attorney will apply for a bond hearing before the arraignment, the Guardian reported. According to the Washinton Post, Zimmerman looked "thin and worn" and said nothing during his brief court appearance.
Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, said that had his client "been through a lot" since he shot and killed Martin.
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Zimmerman, 28, had turned himself in at a county jail on Wednesday after prosecutor Angela Corey announced the charge.
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