George Zimmerman won’t use “stand-your-ground” as part of his defense
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.
It seems that George Zimmerman won't be using the controversial "stand your ground" law as part of his defense any longer.
Zimmerman's defense attorney, Mark O'Mara, said that he will instead use a traditional self-defense argument to have the second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman dismissed, the Associated press reported.
This is a departure from the claim Zimmerman's defense team made last week, when they indicated they would seek a dismissal under the stand-your-ground law.
However, now the defense claims that because evidence suggest that Zimmerman didn't have the option of retreating from the beating he was receiving from Martin, a traditional defense argument makes more sense.
Zimmerman was arrested after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on Feb 26. Martin, a teenager walking to his father's home in a gated community, was unarmed.
O’Mara told the press that Zimmerman is living “like a hermit” with his wife in an undisclosed location while they await progress in the case.
CNN also reported that Zimmerman's lawyers are appealing Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester's decision not to step aside in the controversial case.
Read GlobalPost's entire coverage of the Trayvon Martin case