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| George Zimmerman |
George
Zimmerman is back in police custody; his attorney says he expects to file a
motion today seeking a new bond hearing for Trayvon Martin's shooter, who surrendered to
authorities in central Florida after a judge revoked his bond.
Wearing
a button-down checkered shirt, blue jeans and sneakers, a handcuffed Zimmerman
was escorted by two deputy sheriffs from a white minivan into the Seminole County jail Sunday
afternoon. He did not answer shouted questions from reporters as he was led
inside the jail to be booked, photographed and processed.
The
former neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with second-degree murder in the
fatal shooting February of Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in a gated
community in Sanford, outside Orlando. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty,
claiming he acted in self-defense.
Defense
attorney Mark O'Mara carefully chose his words in addressing his next move
before Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester, who on Friday said he believed
Zimmerman and his wife had lied to the court in April about their finances to
obtain a lower bond.
"He
is in custody now," O'Mara said of Zimmerman, 28. "He's going to
remain there until we get back before Judge Lester if and when he grants us a
bond hearing. It sounded like he might consider it. But that is going to be
based upon the motion itself."
Seminole
County Sheriff Donald Eslinger said Zimmerman turned himself in to two
sheriff's deputies around 1:25 p.m. near the jail, and was then driven there.
"He
is quiet and cooperative," Eslinger said at a news conference after
Zimmerman's surrender.
Prosecutors
said last week that Zimmerman and his wife told the judge at a bond hearing in
April that they had limited money, even though he had raised about $135,000
through a website set up for his legal defense. They suggested more has been
collected since and deposited in a bank account. Defense attorneys say the
matter is a misunderstanding.
Zimmerman,
who was charged in April in the death of the 17-year-old Martin, was ordered by
a judge Friday to return to jail. Zimmerman had been staying at an undisclosed
location for his safety. The judge said Friday he would schedule a hearing
after Zimmerman was back in custody so he could explain himself.
Zimmerman
maintains that he shot Martin in self-defense under Florida's so-called
"stand-your-ground" law because the teenager was beating him up after
confronting him about following Martin. Zimmerman had called 911 to complain
about suspicious activity. Martin was walking from a convenience store to the
home of his father's fiance in the same gated community where Zimmerman lived.
