File unsealed, but most information still secret
George Zimmerman was released early Monday morning from the Seminole County Jail. And hours later, the judge in the murder case unsealed the court file, making a small portion of information public.
Still, the bulk of the information about the case — prosecution records — remains a secret.
Zimmerman posted $150,000 bail and left the Sanford jail early Monday fitted with an electronic monitoring device that the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Seminole County probation officials will use to keep track of him.
The 28- year- old killed Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, setting off demonstrations across the country by critics who demanded his arrest and accused him of racial profiling.
Zimmerman walked out of the jail wearing a brown Pittsburgh Steelers jacket and carrying a brown paper bag. He quickly got into the back seat of a white Bmwandwas driven away. He did not comment to reporters, who were kept at a distance.
The newly unsealed court file offered bits of information but little of substance. It revealed that Zimmerman has already pleaded not guilty, something that happened when defense attorney Mark O’mara filed a written plea several days ago.
He is charged with seconddegree murder and faces a possible life sentence.
O’mara also demanded all the evidence the state has gathered against his client, something routine in criminal cases. What’simportantin this filing, though, is the likely delivery date: Friday.
In a typical case, that would mean that as of Friday, all the evidence would be released to the public as well as O’mara — including crime-scene photos, Trayvon’s phone records and his autopsy results.
But O’mara and Special Prosecutor Angela Corey have made it clear they want to keep some, if not all, of those things a secret. There’s a hearing scheduled Friday on a motion by media attorneys fight- ing to make the evidence public.
Zimmerman is not expected to appear.
While he awaits trial, Zimmermanis expected to live out of state, but officials will be able to monitor his actions no matter where he is living while he awaits trial. Zimmerman had previously gone into hiding in anunknownlocation outside of Florida because of threats against his life.
According to the Seminole County website, Electronic Monitoring Protection and Crime Tracking program “provides real- time, 24-7 monitoring of offenders’ whereabouts via GPS mapping.”