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I think Drafter was the first one to get it. go figure, Trayvon M. day at Malcom X Elem. School.....


Send me a PM with your info, Drafter and I will get yo special award out first thing Tuesday morn.

So are they trying to inspire the childrens to be just like Trayvon ?

Zimmerman credibility could be issue in legal case

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — The credibility of Trayvon Martin's shooter could be an issue at trial after a judge said that George Zimmerman and his wife lied to the court about their finances to obtain a bond, legal experts say.

That's because the case hinges on jurors believing his account of what happened the night the 19-year-old was killed.

The questioning of Zimmerman's truthfulness by the judge on Friday could undermine the defendant's credibility if it is brought up at trial. It also may complicate how his defense presents him as a witness, said Orlando-area attorney Randy McCLean, who is a former prosecutor.

"The other key witness, unfortunately is deceased," McClean said. "Basically, Zimmerman is going to be asking the jury to believe his version of the facts ... As the case stands now, his credibility is absolutely critical to the case."

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for the February shooting. The neighborhood watch volunteer says he shot Martin in self-defense because the unarmed 17-year-old was beating him up after confronting Zimmerman about following him in a gated community outside Orlando.

Witness accounts of the rainy night Martin was shot are spotty. There is no video of the fight, though photos prosecutors have released showed Zimmerman with wounds to his face and the back of his head.

Zimmerman's credibility with the judge would be important if O'Mara tries to get a judge without the jury to dismiss the charges based on the law, said Orlando defense attorney David Hill.

"If he was in on something that was not truthfully revealed to the judge, when there is a 'stand your ground' hearing, of course you're going to second-guess him," Hill said.

Both McClean and Hill said O'Mara would be able to challenge the admissibility of the bond revocation at trial by questioning its relevance.

Zimmerman was arrested 44 days after the killing, and during a bond hearing in April, his wife, Shellie, testified that the couple had limited funds available. The hearing also was notable because Zimmerman took the stand and apologized to Martin's parents.

Prosecutors pointed out in their motion that Zimmerman had $135,000 available then. It had been raised from donations through a website he set up and they suggested more has been collected since and deposited in a bank account.

Shellie Zimmerman was asked about the website at the hearing, but she said she didn't know how much money had been raised. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set bail at $150,000. The 28-year-old was freed a few days later after posting $15,000 in cash — which is typical — and has since been in hiding.

Prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda complained Friday, "This court was led to believe they didn't have a single penny. It was misleading and I don't know what words to use other than it was a blatant lie." The judge agreed and ordered Zimmerman returned to jail by Sunday afternoon.

"Does your client get to sit there like a potted plant and lead the court down the primrose path? That's the issue," Lester said. "He can't sit back and obtain the benefit of a lower bond based upon those material falsehoods."

The defense countered that Zimmerman and his wife never used the money for anything, which indicated "there was no deceit." His attorney, Mark O'Mara, said it wouldn't be a problem to bring Zimmerman back into custody by the deadline.

The judge said he would schedule a hearing after Zimmerman is back in custody so he could explain himself.

Police in Sanford did not immediately arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida's "stand your ground" law that gives wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat in a fight if people believe they are in danger of being killed or seriously injured.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, said his clients have always said Zimmerman should remain in jail until trial, which O'Mara said he believed wouldn't be until next year.

Crump was asked if he thought that if Zimmerman would be willing to lie about his finances that he would be willing to lie about what happen the night Martin was killed.

"We fully expect that the special prosecutor will make George Zimmerman's credibility be front and center in this entire case," Crump said. "And whatever dishonesty that comes forth by George Zimmerman that they can prove, you can best believe it will become the issue of this case."

The revocation of Zimmerman's bond also puts pressure on O'Mara to not delay the trial, McClean said.

"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."

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This is going to get very interesting very fast- as soon as the bond hearing transcripts are published and we can read the testimony and compare it to the transcripts or tapes of the jail-house phone conversations. The wife may be toast. Z will be in jail- at least until there is an evidentiary hearing and possibly through the Motion to Dismiss and trial. Perhaps it may be time to try to cut a deal. If he mislead the court or lied and it is admissible at trial, he will get

Apparently he didn't just lie about the money, something he talked to his wife about over police monitored phones in 'code' while in jail, but also about a passport he had in his possession that he did not turn in.

One or more local report(s0 state the attorney had the second passport in his file, but failed to turn it in.

We will need to see or hear the jailhouse and courtroom testimony transcripts before we can decide if he lie outright or by omission- or did absolutely nothing wrong. Watch for his wife to be probably arrested next as i am sure the Judge read and/or listened to most, if not all over the last few weeks before ruling. There has to be a major credibility gap somewhere on this issue...

New bail hearing in late June. He sits in jail until then, unless the judge, state and defense attorney(s) can re-arrange their schedules. Frankly, I think this is good for Z and will increase his chance of getting a second release. The time in jail is a penalty of sorts and since he never ran and turned himself in, he is less likely to run in the future, especially without the money. the passport issue may be moot as his attorney may have had it in his file and failed to turn it in. This is one attorney who would not lie to the court. Or, so one could argue... Now, lets see if there are any contempt charges against him or his wife, conspiracy charges or perjury charges.

I heard that now that Zim didn't disclose all of his information, he's back to being White again.

lol, no WHITE hispanic...

Yeah, I read that one too.
D is brilliant. Every lawyer one should know not to F with him in a publicized matter.
Maybe, she provoked him to the extent he elects to privately get involved in Z's defense?

He's prolly a globalist.

Wait, he is jewish right? don't want to make assumptions that someone named dershowitz is jewish. some of my best accountants are jewish. god's chosen. i don't have a problem with jews. stop thinking that. it's not true

Z's wife has been arrested for perjury...

Texas gave us both Rick Perry and Bush II.

both good guys...

you gave us Trayvon , Casey Anthony and real estate nobody wants...

OJ did, Ted Kennedy did, LBJ did etc...

Yeah, but that was different.

You forgot Spring Break...Disney World...God's Waiting Room...Bugs...Hurricanes...Pirates...Cigar City...Oranges...Beaches...I-4...Dangling Chads and Mons Venus.

I heard she and octomom were making a porno together....

Robert, do you think they made this stupid decision with the donated money because of bad counsel?

Would this have happened with the original counsel?

Obviously its just conjecture but I'm curious what you think.

I wasn't implying they were complicit.

Curious why they didn't think donations might be made for his defense.


And Z & wife are really dumb with this.....

As suggested above, I am not sure I understand your question. Now, I think you maybe are asking why the Zs didn't restrict the money for Z's legal fees and disclose it immediately. If that is the question, then I can't say why they would use it for anything else- other than to take care of their business and resolve their pressure and uncertainty by paying off their bills, buying bullet proof vests and taking other measures to be prepared for the long-haul. Other than the perjury charge, the released jail tapes of conversations I have heard sound like there was some very rational planning going on by the Zs.

Now, if your question is why didn't anyone, including the prosecutor and Omara, ask whether there were donations made for Z's legal defense, I simply don't know. I know that there are reports that some television talk-show or "news" person asked that donations be sent to aid Z's defense. I also know that Z set-up a website. If anyone knew of all these things, you would wonder why questions weren't asked ahead of time. Maybe Z or Zs asked by Omara and a lie or lies were told. People lie and fib to their lawyers all the time. I don't know. perhaps, if I knew the timeline of the television personality's request for donations, the timeline of Z's website and the contents of Z's website, then I could try to give you a better answer.

Hope one of these is on point. If not, perhaps you could re-state your original question. Sorry if I am dense on this one...

And just like EVERY single damn case those 2 have EVER stuck their noses in....they will be found to be on the WRONG SIDE!


WTF UP!


You're listening to fools and racebaiters expecting some good to come out of their mouths!

Taxpayers will pick up the tab for a losing case! Z is gonna walk.

Robert your second scenario was more what I was talking about.

I haven't kept up with this much but I assumed he would have a legal defense fund.......obviously not a defense teams biggest concern just seemed odd they didn't see that. And again stupid of Z not to disclose to them.

Zimmerman's bail set at $1M in Trayvon Martin case

Published - Jul 05 2012 11:56AM EST

MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press


ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge ruled Thursday that George Zimmerman can be released from jail a second time on $1 million bond, saying he set the bail amount significantly higher because Zimmerman may have been hiding money as part of a plot to flee the country.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester had revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond last month after prosecutors told the judge Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had during an April bond hearing. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

"It is entirely reasonable for this court to find that, but for the requirement that he be placed on electronic monitoring, the defendant and his wife would have fled the United States with at least $130,000 of other people's money," Lester wrote.

Prosecutors said a website Zimmerman created for his legal defense had raised $135,000 at the time of his first bond hearing. Zimmerman and his wife did not mention the money then, and Shellie Zimmerman even said the couple had limited resources because she was a student and he wasn't working.

The judge made his decision after listening last week to Zimmerman's attorney and a forensic financial analyst explain why he wasn't more forthcoming.

The judge expressed his unhappiness with Zimmerman and said that his actions suggest a possibility that he was preparing to flee to avoid prosecution.

"Under any definition, the defendant has flaunted the system," Lester wrote in the order. "The defendant has tried to manipulate the system when he has been presented the opportunity to do so."

Lester said he was granting bond because Zimmerman posed no threat to the community, and Florida law requires that most defendants receive bond if they pose no threat and can assure their presence for trial. The judge's order requires Zimmerman to be electronically monitored and residing in Seminole County, prohibits him from opening a bank account or obtaining a passport and implements a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. Zimmerman had been allowed to leave Florida under the conditions of his first bond release.

Prosecutors previously argued Zimmerman and his wife talked in code during recorded jailhouse conversations about how to transfer the donations to different bank accounts. For example, George Zimmerman at one point asked how much money they had. She replied "$155." Prosecutors allege that was code for $155,000. Their reference to "Peter Pan" was code for the PayPal system through which the donations were made, prosecutors said.

Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara sparred with prosecutors over those finances last week and questioned why his client is in jail at all, arguing that Martin's actions led to his death. O'Mara did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.

O'Mara ultimately decided against calling his client to the stand during last Friday's hearing, unlike during the first bond hearing, when Zimmerman apologized to Martin's family.

The defense attorney called Zimmerman's father to testify, and played a chilling 911 call from the Feb. 26 night when Martin was killed. The call includes a disputed cry for help and the fatal gunshot. Robert Zimmerman said he was sure that was his son's cry.

Shellie Zimmerman has since been charged with perjury. She is out of jail on $1,000 bond and her arraignment is set for July 31.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting the unarmed 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 at a gated apartment community in Sanford. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty and claims the shooting was self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law.

Martin's parents and supporters claim that the teenager was targeted because he was black and that Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.

The 44 days between the shooting and Zimmerman's arrest inspired nationwide protests, led to the departure of the Sanford police chief and prompted a U.S. Justice Department probe.