George Zimmerman returns to Florida for jail after judge revokes bond

Attorney for man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin says client will
turn himself in after judge found he lied about finances

George Zimmerman has returned to Florida to turn himself in to police
after having his bond revoked, a lawyer for the self-appointed
neighbourhood watchman has said.


(Interesting that Zimmerman has been "downgraded" to "self-appointed.)


Zimmerman, who is charged with the second-degree murder of unarmed
teenager Trayvon Martin, has until 2.30pm ET Sunday to surrender to
authorities, having been found to have lied to a court about his finances.

His attorney Mark O'Mara announced on his website early Sunday that his
client – who had been residing at an undisclosed location out of fear of
reprisals – was now back in Florida ahead of the deadline imposed by
Judge Kenneth Lester Jr on Friday.

Lester revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bail after ruling that the defendant
lied about money raised on a private website.

The state attorney prosecuting Zimmerman, 28, for the second-degree
murder of Martin during a confrontation in Sanford on 26 February
insisted he had $135,000 in his defence fund, yet claimed at a bond
hearing in April that he was penniless.

"Does your client get to sit there like a potted plant and lead the
court down the primrose path?" an angry Lester asked Zimmerman's lawyer,
Mark O'Mara, at Friday's hearing.

"He can't sit back and obtain the benefit of a lower bond based upon
those material falsehoods."

Conversations from prison between Zimmerman and his wife Shellie also
revealed the existence of a second US passport that he owned but did not
surrender, leading prosecutors to state he was a flight risk.


Zimmerman will get the chance to tell his side of the story this week
after Lester said he would schedule another hearing, possibly as early
as Monday.

But while O'Mara, is likely to plead for his client to be bailed once
again, Lester has the option to order him to remain behind bars until
his trial, which may not take place until next year.

*****Potentially more damaging is the hit to the defendant's credibility
caused by being seen lying to a judge. Zimmerman admits shooting and
killing Martin, 17, as he walked through the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated
community but has insisted that he acted in self-defence against an
aggressor who broke his nose. Under Florida's controversial
stand-your-ground law, the use of deadly force is justified in
life-threatening situations.*****

Lawyers for Martin's family, however, question how his account of the
incident can be believed if he was willing to deceive a court over his
financial circumstances.

*****Bingo!*****

"Whatever dishonesty that comes forth by George Zimmerman that they can
prove, you can best believe it will become the issue of this case," said
Benjamin Crump, who represents Martin's parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy
Martin.

Legal analysts agree it will be an issue at trial. "Basically, Zimmerman
is going to be asking the jury to believe his version of the facts,"
former prosecutor Randy McLean, now an Orlando-based attorney, told the
Associated Press.

"As the case stands now, his credibility is absolutely critical to the
case."

McLean also pointed to O'Mara having waived his client's right to a
speedy trial, a decision that might not prove favourable given that
Zimmerman is now heading back to jail.

"When your client is out on bond, the pressure is much lighter to rush
to trial … because your client is sitting at home," he said.

"When your client is sitting at the Seminole County Jail, your client is
going to want this resolved."

Zimmerman faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted. Special
prosecutor Angela Corey charged him with second-degree murder in April
after weeks of outrage and public protests over the decision by police
almost two months earlier to release him without charge.

- - -

We've got a little miscreant in rec.boats who claimed here a few weeks
ago he wouldn't cooperate with police in a criminal investigation. He'd
probably lie to a judge, too. Stupid is as stupid does.