Trayvon Martin Case: Bail Revoked for George Zimmerman

The Trayvon Martin case is one which has made national and some international headlines due the nature of the crime and the local law specific to the State of Florida “stand your ground” which allowed the defendant in this case, George Zimmerman, to remain free after shooting and killing a 17 year old African American boy. The case in its self, although tragic, would most likely not have made national headlines if it were not due to the freedom that was provided to George Zimmerman via Florida’s “stand your ground law” after his admittance to shooting an unarmed underage boy.

Although initially this case was seen as being insensitive to the greater African American community the American public was soon enlightened of the quirky loophole potential of this law. Many are still outraged by the way the police initially handled the case. But not all things are going in George Zimmerman’s favor as it may appear to the public. After being released on $150,000 bail set by the judge in Sanford, Florida the decision has been re-analyzed and the judge has decided to revoke the bail bond provided by George Zimmerman.

Why was George Zimmerman’s bond revoked?
When the initial bail amount was set by the judge during the bond hearing a financial analysis was conducted on George Zimmerman who along with his wife claimed they were penniless at the time. Due to this claim the bond amount was set lower than normal to the $150,000 that was paid by the Zimmerman couple. Afterwards, this amount was paid almost immediately leading the judge along with prosecutors to suspect there may be some foul play involved. After the decision to conduct an investigation into this issue the State Attorney who is assisting in prosecuting this case found her suspicions were confirmed through the phone calls made by George Zimmerman while he was in jail.

Material Falsehood:
George Zimmerman was found to be using coded language to mask his discussions with his wife Shelly Zimmerman relating to transferring money they had received from a fund raising website that was setup shortly after his initial detention. This behavior is classified as “material falsehood” which allows the judge in the case to re-analyze the defendant’s eligibility to post bail for their trial. Due to the deceit displayed in the initial hearing the judge made the decision to revoke the previous bail amount paid by the Zimmerman family.

In addition to this Shelly Zimmerman has been detained for her involvement in the deceitful information provided and she has been charged with perjury for lying to the judge about their finances prior to posting bail. Compounding on the lies told to the court, it was discovered that George Zimmerman had a second passport (seeing as he had to give up his passport temporarily while out on bond). Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, is claiming responsibility for not turning in George’s second passport in a timely manner.

Case built on credibility:
Since the basis of the defense’s argument in this case is relying on the credibility of the defendant’s testimony in conjunction with the “stand your ground” law combined with the potential flight risk of a suspect out on bail with a valid passport it was determined that George’s bail should be revoked to ensure a consistent trial. The outcome of the combination of these factors is likely to directly affect the manner in which his defense approaches this trial as well as the possibility of how jurors may portray the defendant after learning of this news.

Luckily enough, George Zimmerman most likely posted a cash bond directly to the court as opposed to posting a surety bond with a bail bondsman who would’ve most likely absorbed the loss of this bond in this instance. This could have been a costly mistake for an Orlando bail bonds agency.