George Zimmerman surrenders in Florida

[Kourosh]

George Zimmerman surrendered to authorities in Florida on Sunday and was taken into custody at the Seminole County Jail, two days after a judge revoked his $150,000 bond and ordered him to turn himself in.

Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. said on Friday that Zimmerman and his family misled the court about their finances, and set a deadline of 2:30 p.m. Sunday for Zimmerman to surrender.

Zimmerman, looking "a little heavier" than he did after his April arrest, arrived at the jail less than an hour before the deadline, according to ABC News.

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Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, said earlier Sunday that he was coordinating with the Sanford (Fla.) Police Dept. to "ensure Mr. Zimmerman's security when he turns himself in."

Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, had been living in an undisclosed location since being released on bond in April. According to O'Mara, "there are significant threats" against the former neighborhood watchman's life.

On Friday, prosecutors argued that Zimmerman and his wife Shelly did not disclose the $135,000 they had collected in donations for his defense at the initial bond hearing.

 

On Sunday, O'Mara said he plans to request a new bond hearing to address the court's concerns.

"The vast majority of the funds in question are in an independently managed trust, and neither Mr. Zimmerman or his attorneys have direct access to the money," a statement from O'Mara's office said. "The defense team hopes that Mr. Zimmerman's voluntary surrender to Sanford police will help demonstrate to the court that he is not a flight risk."

Zimmerman pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge, and claims he shot Martin in self-defense. Martin's family claims Zimmerman, whose father is white and mother is from Peru, stalked the unarmed 17-year-old African-American in a Sanford, Fla., gated community.

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Benjamin Crump, the Martin family attorney, said the teen's parents welcomed the news.

"They've always believed that if the shoe was on the other foot that Trayvon Martin would have been put in jail on day one and he would have not been given bail," Crump said Friday.

Zimmerman was arrested on April 11 and charged with second-degree murder.

 

Source : http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/zimmerman-surrenders-florida-trayvon-martin-180240588.html