Florida teen’s killer released from jail
George Zimmerman, the former neighbourhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder in the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, was released early on Monday from a Florida county jail on $150,000 bail.
Wearing a brown jacket, jeans and carrying a brown paperbag, Zimmerman walked out of the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, Fla., moments after midnight after posting bail and meeting other conditions set for his release at a hearing on Friday.
Zimmerman was met by another man and quickly climbed into a late-model white BMW that drove off. He made no comments to a handful of reporters gathered outside the jail.
Under conditions set by Judge Kenneth Lester Jr., Zimmerman must wear an electronic monitoring device and he may be allowed to leave the state. He also must observe a dusk-to-dawn curfew and is prohibited from consuming illegal drugs or alcohol or possessing a firearm.
Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Trayvon’s parents, said the family was “praying and trying to trust” in the judicial process that allowed Zimmerman to be released from jail, but hoped that he would not remain free for long.
“They were heavy-hearted that the killer of their son was released from jail,” Crump said.
“However, they hope that his freedom is temporary because the pain he has caused their family is permanent. They’re never going to get Trayvon back.”
Zimmerman attorney Mark O’mara, appearing on CBS’S This Morning program, said there had been no recent threats against his client, but his whereabouts still are expected to remain secret until his next appearance in court.
Zimmerman shot and killed Martin in a gated community in Sanford in central Florida on Feb. 26 in an incident that prompted civil-rights protests and a national debate over guns, self-defence laws and race in America.
No date has been set for Zimmerman’s trial, but court documents released on Monday said he had been ordered to appear before Lester for his arraignment on the murder charge in court in Sanford at 1:30 p.m. on May 8.
The court filings also showed that Zimmerman entered a written plea of not guilty and requested a trial by jury when he made his initial appearance in court on April 12.
Zimmerman, who is of mixed white and Hispanic ancestry, has said he shot the 17-year-old Trayvon, who lived near Miami, in self-defence. The confrontation occurred as Trayvon was returning to the home of his father’s fiancee in the community after buying candy from a convenience store.
Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows people to use deadly force when they believe they are in danger of being killed or suffering great bodily harm.
The lack of an arrest led thousands to march in protest rallies in Sanford and across the country.