At a hearing this morning in Florida, Judge Kenneth Lester set bond at $150,000 for Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder. He will be monitored by GPS, and his lawyer was told to confer with the sheriff’s department about whether or not Zimmerman will be allowed to reside out of state.
Before the ruling, Zimmerman took the stand dressed in a suit and tie, and apologized to Martin’s family. “I am sorry for the loss of your son,” he said. “I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little younger than me, and I did not know if he was armed or not.”
This morning, ABC News released a never-before-seen picture of Zimmerman reportedly taken moments after a fight that left a 17-year-old boy dead. The photo shows Zimmerman’s head dripping with blood; he claims he shot Martin in self-defense.
Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara requested bail be set at $15,000. Prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda argued that Martin “was minding his own business,” and that Zimmerman should be held without bond based partially on past accusations of violence. De La Rionda requested that if bond was set, it should be $1 million.
“I’m a disabled veteran, and don’t have a great deal of income,” Zimmerman’s father told the court. “I’ve never known him to be violent at all unless otherwise provoked,” he said of his son, “then he’d turn the other cheek.”
