A Florida judge delayed his decision today on whether to let George Zimmerman out of jail on bond a second time. Meanwhile, both prosecutors and the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin and laid out elements of their case at the bond hearing.
Judge Kenneth Lester revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond earlier this month after he said the defendant and his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, intentionally tried to mislead the court about their financial situation in April so he would make bail.
George Zimmerman Bail Bond Hearing
The pair did not disclose more than $100,000 raised through a legal defense fund website; Zimmerman's wife was also charged with perjury.
In a 2.5-hour hearing on Friday, Zimmerman asked for a re-release, which led to the defense and prosecution conducting a mini-trial of sorts.
The state argued that Zimmerman is a criminal who should not be released, while the defense put forward evidence that he acted in self defense.
The defense played the Trayvon Martin 911 call from February 26, the night he was killed. In April, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder.
"There's someone screaming outside. It sounds like a male. I think they're yelling help," a woman says in the call, as someone screams for help.
Zimmerman's lawyer Mark O'Mara then called his father, Robert Zimmerman, to the stand. He identified the screams heard on the call as his son's.
"It was absolutely George's," he said.
In cross examination, prosecutors said Zimmerman claimed Martin had covered his mouth, contradicting his assertion that he screamed for help.
O'Mara did not put Zimmerman on the stand.
He briefly drew the ire of the judge when he asked whether Zimmerman could make a statement to him without facing cross examination.
Lester called it a "backdoor" tactic and refused the request. At his first bond hearing, Zimmerman apologized to Martin's family in open court.
