• Donations to Zimmerman's defense fund up by about $20,000, lawyers say

    George Zimmerman gets out of jail, but the judge in his case will now require advance notification before Zimmerman can leave the county. NBC's Jay Gray reports.

    By NBC's Jamie Novogrod

    Updated at 5:27 p.m. ET: SANFORD, Fla. --  A day after a Florida judge raised George Zimmerman's bond to $1 million dollars, donations to a legal defense fund in Zimmerman's name have gone up by more than a third, according to a statement released Friday by his legal defense team.

    Read statement here

    The statement was posted on www.gzlegalcase.com, the official website for Zimmerman's legal defense. The website is managed by the law firm of Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's defense attorney.

    Zimmerman was released from the Seminole County Jail at 2:49 p.m ET Friday after posting $1 million bond.

    Zimmerman posts $1 million bond, released from Florida jail

    According to the statement, supporters donated approximately $20,000 since Thursday, when Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. released his bond ruling.

    The number marks -- in only one day's haul -- a sharp spike in donations making up a significant portion of earlier totals.

    According to the statement, Zimmerman's legal defense fund had previously received approximately $55,000 in donations during the two months prior to the ruling.

    Zimmerman, 28, is accused of second-degree murder in the Feb. 26th shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17, inside a gated community here in Sanford.

    Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, pleaded not guilty and told police he acted in self-defense after Martin punched him and knocked his head against the pavement.

    Thursday, Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Lester, Jr. ordered Zimmerman's bond raised to $1 million in light of revelations Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, had misled the court about their finances during an April 20 bond hearing.

    Last month, Lester yanked Zimmerman's earlier bond of $150,000 and ordered him back to jail after prosecutors showed that the couple failed to disclose at least $130,000 in donations to a Pay Pal account.

    "Under any definition, the defendant has flaunted the system," Lester wrote in his ruling Thursday, noting that Zimmerman also failed to disclose a second passport.

    "Although there is no record of flight to avoid prosecution, this court finds that circumstances indicate that the defendant was preparing to flee to avoid prosecution, but such plans were thwarted," Lester added in his ruling.

    'Now is the time'
    Within hours of the bond ruling, Zimmerman's defense team countered with its own strongly-worded statement, declaring that Zimmerman was not a flight risk, and renewing calls for donations.

    "For those that think Mr. Zimmerman has been treated unfairly by the media, for those who feel Mr. Zimmerman has been falsely accused as a racist, for those who feel this case is an affront to their constitutional rights," the statement read, "now is the time to show your support."

    Zimmerman quietly left jail earlier this afternoon, dressed in the grey suit he has worn to court appearances. He answered no questions from media, and was whisked off in a large SUV.

    A bond document released by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office on Friday showed Zimmerman paid a bail bond company $100,000 in cash -- 10 percent of the $1 million dollar bond.

    View bond document here (pdf.)

    His parents, the document shows, put up their house as collateral.

    Speaking to reporters outside jail several minutes after Zimmerman's release, Don West, a lawyer for Zimmerman, said his client needed only to place $85,000 of the cash amount, because the bail bond company considered as credit a payment in April of $15,000 on an earlier bond. (Zimmerman paid $15,000 -- 10 percent -- to secure release on April 23 on his original bond of $150,000.) 

    Renewed efforts
    The defense team's renewed fundraising effort may demonstrate the mounting expense of a legal case in which each twist and turn produces new costs -- and ever more attention from the national media.

    O'Mara, Zimmerman's lead defense lawyer, told WESH-TV's Bob Kealing Thursday that Zimmerman's legal defense could cost up to $2 million.

    In an interview with NBC News last week -- before the renewed fundraising effort -- O'Mara said that Zimmerman's defense fund had about $211,000 dollars but the money was already being spent on hiring staff and other legal costs.

    According to O'Mara, Zimmerman's defense fund is managed by a third-party administrator who is a former IRS agent.  O'Mara established the fund after he shuttered Zimmerman's Pay Pal account.

    WESH is NBC's affiliate station in Orlando.

    Also Friday, Zimmerman's lawyers said a security team has established a "safe house" in Seminole County where Zimmerman will stay "until a more permanent secure location can be established."

    Among the conditions of Judge Lester's order, Zimmerman cannot leave Seminole County without authorization from the court, and is barred from drinking alcohol or holding a bank account.

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  • Police say Zimmerman had chances to defuse situation before shooting Martin

    By Bill Dedman, Investigative Reporter, NBC News

    Prosecutors released more documents, photos and audiovisual files on Tuesday afternoon from the case of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, accused of murder in the second degree in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26.

    Here is a PDF file containing 29 pages of investigative reports.

    Follow Open Channel on Twitter and Facebook.

    Zimmerman told police that he saw Martin walking, followed him in his vehicle, passed him without identifying himself, called the police non-emergency line, lost sight of Martin as Martin ran toward his father's home, followed Martin on foot, and then was confronted by Martin, who attacked him when Zimmerman reached into his pocket for his cell phone to call 911.

    The report shows that Zimmerman passed a "lie detector" test, called a computer voice stress analyzer, showing no deception in his statements. Such tests are popular with police departments but usually cannot be admitted as evidence in court.

    After reviewing the evidence and interviewing Zimmerman, the police detective concluded that Zimmerman's actions were "inconsistent" with someone who was afraid of Martin, and that Zimmerman had several chances to end the encounter without violence.

    "Investigative findings show that Zimmerman admitted avoiding a confrontation with Martin while Zimmerman was observing Martin from his vehicle, because, as he told investigators, was afraid of Martin," Det. Chris Serino wrote. "Later in the encounter, Zimmerman exited his vehicle, in spite of his earlier admission to investigators that he was afraid of Martin, and followed Martin in an effort to maintain surveillance of him while Zimmerman awaited the arrival of law enforcement officers. His actions are inconsistent with those of a person who has stated he was in fear of another subject.

    Sanford Police Department

    A photo of the back of George Zimmerman's head, taken during a police interview after the shooting. Zimmerman said Martin attacked him and was astride him, beating him, when Zimmerman fired a single shot into Martin's torso.

    "Investigative findings show that George Michael Zimmerman had at least two opportunities to speak with Trayvon Benjamin Martin in order to defuse the circumstances surrounding their encounter. On at least two occasions, George Michael Zimmerman failed to identify himself as a concerned resident or a neighborhood watch member to Trayvon Benjamin Martin. Investigative findings show the physical dimension of Trayvon Benjamin Martin, and that of George Michael Zimmerman, coupled with the absence of any specialized training in hand to hand combat between either combatant, did not place George Michael Zimmerman in an extraordinary or exceptional disadvantage of apparent physical ability or defensive capacity.

    "Investigative findings show the physical injuries displayed by George Michael Zimmerman are marginally consistent with a life-threatening violent episode as described by him, during which neither a deadly weapon nor deadly force was deployed by Trayvon Martin."

    "The following sequence of events were obtained by admissions made by Zimmerman and cannot be corroborated by independent witnesses, nor can be refuted by independent witnesses:

    In a video clip from Feb. 27, 2012, released by his attorney, George Zimmerman takes investigators back to the scene of his shooting of Trayvon Martin. (George Zimmerman featured at 2:15)

    "While Zimmerman was returning to his vehicle, he states he was attacked by Martin, but only after Martin inquires to Zimmerman, 'What's your problem?'

    "Zimmerman, instead of attempting to inform Martin of the reason he was following him, stated to Martin, 'I don't have a problem.'

    "As Zimmerman responds to Martin, by his own admission, Zimmerman reaches into his pocket attempting to locate his cell phone.

    "As Zimmerman reaches for his cell phone, he stated Martin replies, 'You have one now,' and Martin punches Zimmerman in the face, knocking him to the ground.

    "Zimmerman stated that he was battered by Martin to the point of almost losing consciousness. He stated he ultimately had no choice but to shoot Martin in self-defense."

    The report continues:

    "The encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement, or conversely if he had identified himself to Martin as a concerned citizen and initiated dialog in an effort to dispel each party's concern. There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter. Zimmerman, by his statements made to the call taker and recorded for review, and his statements made to investigators following the shooting death of Martin, made it clear that he had already reached a faulty conclusion as to Martin's purpose for being in the neighborhood."

    The investigator concludes with a recommendation that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter. He was ultimately charged with a more serious charge, homicide in the second degree.

    Police also released a copy of Zimmerman's neighborhood watch handbook, including this warning: "Neighborhood Watch is NOT the Vigilante Police. Work with the police. Be our eyes and ears. Report suspicious activity."

    Sanford Police Department

    A page from George Zimmerman's neighborhood watch training manual.

     

  • Judge cites Internet age, orders release of more evidence in Trayvon Martin shooting

    By Kerry Sanders and Jamie Novogrod, NBC News

    SANFORD, Fla. -- It was once Florida’s tourism motto: “The rules are different here.”

    John E. Polk Correctional Facility / Reuters file

    George Zimmerman, shown in a handout booking photo.

    And that is now once again holding true as this state’s permissive public records laws are clarified by Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester.

    In the highly charged second-degree murder case against George Zimmerman, accused of shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, evidence that would ordinarily remain sealed from public view in many other states will soon be revealed for any and all to see. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty. Police in Sanford say he told officers on the night of the shooting that he acted in self-defense.

    Florida’s public records laws date to 1967, and while they’ve stood the test of time through a series of high-profile cases, including the trials of serial killer Ted Bundy, serial killer Danny Rolling and accused baby killer Casey Anthony – who was acquitted on all charges – Lester says 2012 is a different time.

    “The majority of case law … predates the rise of the blogosphere, where the Internet has made news and opinion instantly available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” he writes.   

    Kerry Sanders is an NBC News correspondent based in Florida; click here to follow him on Twitter. Jamie Novogrod is an NBC News producer; he's also on Twitter.

    “Until recently, a change of venue would be sufficient to ensure that an impartial jury could be selected because the local print and television media would primarily focus on local news.” 
     
    So what new evidence can the public expect to see? 

    • Zimmerman spoke to law enforcement and those conversations, interrogations and interviews were likely recorded.  While prosecutors claim they’re confessions, the defense says they are not.  Soon, you’ll be able to read transcripts, and perhaps listen, too, and draw your own conclusions. 
    • Statement by Witness No. 9. Sources tell NBC News Witness No. 9 made some highly inflammatory claims about Zimmerman. They’re the type of claims, say those familiar with the recording, that may be off-topic but are an assault on Zimmerman’s character. For Zimmerman’s defense team, this witness may offer little in the courtroom, but sources familiar with the statements say they could be devastating in the court of public opinion. 
    • Zimmerman was given a “stress test” by Sanford police the night of the shooting. Sources tell NBC News he passed the test. Prosecutors did not want the test released because they say the science is suspect. While it’s unclear whether the test would be acceptable in a court of law, it’s about to become public, again for any and all to judge relevant or worthless.
    • All the crime scene photos, other than those showing Martin’s body, will become public. That again will allow amateur sleuths to piece together theories of the crime and, as the judge notes, publish any and all opinions and conclusions on the Internet.

    Defense Attorney Mark O’Mara said at a recent hearing the problem with making all of these records public is “we can’t control what the media chooses to publish.”

    Related story

    Court docs: Trayvon Martin shooting 'ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman'

    The lawmakers who long ago established Florida’s public records laws argued, in part, that the purpose of opening all files was to let anyone choose what they find important. Transparency, they argued, also holds everyone accountable, including the prosecutor, who by nature of the job has an established authority and presumed unassailable integrity.

    But in an evolving Internet-driven world, Special Prosecutor Angela Corey believes it’s time for change. She says she’s going to take the public records debate to the Florida Legislature in 2013. She says she wants to change the laws established 45 years ago because she says lawmakers then could not have predicted the impact of the Internet today on our justice system.

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  • Postponement sought in Baltimore neighborhood watch trial

    Kim Hairston / Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun

    Left to right, Avi Werdesheim, 20, and, Eliyalu Eliezer Werdesheim, 23, charged with assaulting a black teenager while members of Shomrim, a Jewish neighborhood patrol group, leave the Circuit Court after their arraignment.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    Two brothers accused of beating a black teenager in Baltimore, Md., while patrolling for an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood watch are seeking to postpone their trial that had been set to begin Monday because of publicity comparing their case to the Trayvon Martin shooting.

    Defense attorney Andrew Alperstein requested the delay on behalf of Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim, saying there were similarities and significant differences between the two cases, but it could be difficult for jurors to separate them as details of the Martin case come out.

    In the Martin case, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, claimed he shot the 17-year-old Martin in self-defense on Feb. 26. Prosecutors later charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder. The shooting sparked protests nationwide, as well as debates about the laws and race. Martin was black; Zimmerman is the son of a white father and Hispanic mother.


    "We believe a delay until the [George] Zimmerman matter settles down would be in the best interests of justice," Alperstein said, The Baltimore Sun reported.

    Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Sylvester B. Cox, who did not make a ruling, ordered the brothers to return Tuesday morning, according to the Baltimore Sun.

    The Werdesheims, who are white and Jewish, have claimed self-defense in the 2010 incident, saying the teen was holding a board studded with nails. The trial has already been postponed six times.

    The Werdesheims are accused of beating a 15-year-old boy who was walking through a Baltimore neighborhood in November 2010. The brothers pulled up next to the teen in a vehicle, then got out and surrounded him, according to charging documents. The passenger threw the teen to the ground and the driver hit him in the head with a hand-held radio and patted him down.

    Zimmerman's attorney apologizes for client's apology to Trayvon Martin's parents

    The teen remembered the driver yelling, "You wanna (mess) with us, you don't belong around here, get outta here!" according to court documents, which do not identify which brother was driving.

    The teen was cut on the back of his head and had a broken wrist, according to court documents, the Associated Press reported. The teen later identified Eliyahu Werdesheim, now 24, as one of the men who assaulted him. He was arrested after about 10 days; his now 21-year-old brother was charged two months later.

    The brothers are charged with second-degree assault, false imprisonment and carrying a deadly weapon (the hand-held radio). The pair face up to 13 years in prison if convicted on all three counts.

    Eliyahu Werdesheim has been suspended from the neighborhood group while Avi was never a member, according to Baltimore officials.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Zimmerman lawyer asks for new judge in Trayvon Martin case

    With all the media coverage surrounding the Trayvon Martin case, many are asking if it will be possible for George Zimmerman to have a fair trial. The defense in the case has asked for the judge to be removing because of a potential conflict of interest. Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, along with their attorney Benjamin Crump talk with Rev. Al Sharpton.

    By Sevil Omer, NBC News

    The lawyer for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing Trayvon Martin, has asked the judge in the case to step down, citing a potential conflict of interest.


    NBC News confirmed that Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, filed the request on Monday to disqualify Judge Jessica J. Recksiedler in Seminole County Circuit Court.  

    "What I don't want to happen is to wait a month or two then what we find out is a potential conflict is an actual conflict," O'Mara told reporters during a press conference in Orlando, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

    O’Mara said he met with Zimmerman on Monday and talked about asking for a new judge, according to the Sentinel.

    Recksiedler's potential conflict involves her husband, who works with Orlando attorney Mark NeJame. NeJame currently works for CNN as an analyst on the Zimmerman case, according to the Sentinel.

    Zimmerman was charged last week with second-degree murder in Trayvon Martin's shooting death on Feb. 26. Zimmerman, 28, is pleading not guilty, saying it was self-defense. Martin, 17, was unarmed.

    Tough for Zimmerman to get fair trial, defense attorneys say

    Also on Monday, Reuters reported that Zimmerman’s neighbors say he had bandages on his nose and head the day after he shot Martin, supporting statements by Zimmerman that he was beaten in a confrontation with the Florida teen. The neighbors spoke to Reuters on Sunday and Monday, saying they felt they owed him their public support after he was charged with second-degree murder.

    Public doubts had been raised after the release of a grainy surveillance video from the police station in which no injuries were readily visible.

    Currently, all court documents on the case are kept secret, according to NBC News. Lawyers on behalf of Florida have contested the sealing of documents.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

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  • Zimmerman's new attorney: Who is Mark O'Mara?

    The attorney for George Zimmerman, Mark O'Mara, speaks to reporters following his client's first court appearance since being charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

    By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

    When George Zimmerman made his initial court appearance on Thursday charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, he had a new lawyer at his side: Mark O’Mara, described by a longtime friend as a “fearless” lawyer and a “renaissance man.”

    The central Florida defense attorney and former prosecutor has nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, representing clients in criminal cases ranging from drunk driving to the death penalty. He also has clocked time in front of the television cameras, serving as a legal analyst for local station WKMG Channel 6, where he commented on high-profile cases, including the Casey Anthony case and even the Martin one – before he was hired to represent Zimmerman.

     

    “He’s a brilliant lawyer,” O’Mara’s longtime friend and civil attorney Joseph Flood told msnbc.com, as well as a “renaissance man” who loves the arts and the Orlando Magic, rides a Harley and is very family-oriented. “I think he’ll be able to manage both the criminal prosecution side, which is going to be a big task, but also just as importantly he’ll be able to manage the media side of it.

    “He will come up with the best defense that Mr. Zimmerman is entitled to get.”

    From 1982-1984, O’Mara was an assistant state attorney in the Seminole County State Attorney's Office after graduating from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee. He has been an active member of the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, according to a former president of the group, Melissa Vickers.

    “He’s very well respected. … He’s a great trial attorney,” she told msnbc.com. “They’re in very good hands.”

    Mark O'Mara, the new attorney for George Zimmerman, tells TODAY's Carl Quintanilla he was surprised his client was charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

    Flood said O’Mara has handled numerous first-degree murder cases. Questions have been raised about whether he would use the "Stand Your Ground" defense for his new client -- a neighborhood watch volunteer accused of fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in a gated community on Feb. 26.

    Under the “Stand Your Ground” law, a citizen doesn’t have to retreat before using deadly force against an attacker.

    When asked by reporters after Thursday's hearing how many "Stand Your Ground" cases he has handled, O'Mara said: “Self-defense cases, which is really what you’re speaking of, a number of them. It shows up in a lot of personal crimes."

    "I have not had one to a jury since the 'Stand Your Ground' statute, but I’ve had a couple that have utilized that as … sort of an impact on it,” he added.

    One local high-profile case he handled was that of radio personality Shannon Burke, who shot his wife’s dog in a fit of anger. The bullet also grazed his wife’s head. Flood said O’Mara managed to get a nominal sentence for Burke, who received six months after pleading guilty to animal cruelty and opening fire in a building.

    “He’s fearless. I mean, he doesn’t mind taking on those kinds of cases … cases that have media scrutiny where people are looking over your shoulder and every word that you say is being posted on YouTube … every single thing you do is being called into question by 17 supposed experts,” said Flood.

    “He believes in the process enough that he thinks they deserve a defense, too,” he said of high-profile defendants like Zimmerman, who has become a lightning rod in the debate over race relations. “The character that I admire in him about that is his willingness to put his skills on the line when not just a client and maybe a judge are watching, but when the whole city and, in this case, the whole world is watching.”

    In mid-March, long before he took on Zimmerman as a client, O’Mara, 56,  said on WKMG that Zimmerman’s shooting of the 17-year-old teen in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. – which he has claimed was in self-defense – could be legally justified under the “Stand Your Ground” law.

    "People call it the license-to-murder statute because it doesn't require actions to avoid the confrontation," said O'Mara. "If you can present evidence or at least your own testimony that (you) felt in fear that he was going to commit great bodily injury or death, that is what kicks in the statutory protection that you're allowed to respond with deadly force."

    The “Stand Your Ground” law also can let a judge, in an evidentiary hearing before a jury trial, determine that a defendant can’t be prosecuted due to the self-defense argument.

    Martin's mom: Killing was an 'accident'

    On Tuesday night, after Zimmerman’s former attorneys said they were no longer representing him, O’Mara said on WKMG that he was “surprised that two attorneys who were no longer counsel talked for an hour about a case that they’re no longer involved in.

    AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

    Mark O'Mara, addresses reporters outside his offices in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, April 11, 2012.

    “I think that was a little problematic. You’re not supposed to talk about a client’s case, for the most part at all, and yet they answered dozens of questions,” he said in remarks reported by the Orlando Sentinel.

    When asked by an anchor if that could be detrimental to the case put forward by Zimmerman’s eventual lawyer, he responded: “Very potentially. If George Zimmerman came to me tomorrow and said, ‘I want you to represent me,’ I would look at the press conference and say, ‘Mr. Uhrig identified a potential defense. He outlined the facts of what happened, and he cemented what George Zimmerman can now say.’ And that’s problematic if other evidence comes out that conflicts with it.”

    Second-degree murder charge surprises legal experts


    O’Mara, a former president of the Seminole County Bar Association, said Zimmerman’s family contacted him about representing him and then he spoke with his new client, according to cfnews13.com.

    Flood said he spoke with O’Mara on Wednesday while he was deciding whether to take the case. Flood said he thought the case was a good fit.

    “I told him I think he should take the case, that I thought he’d be the perfect lawyer for it,” he said.

    On Rock Center with Brian Williams on Wednesday night, O’Mara said: ‘Certainly self-defense seems to have presented itself as part of the one facet of the defense, and yes, the hold your ground statute, which sort of … authorizes or codifies the standard of self-defense in Florida is going to be one of the things that we’re going to look into.”

    “We have to look at what the statute says that is presently the law in Florida, it may be up for review because of this case,” he said. “But presently, that statute basically says if a person is in reasonable fear of … great bodily injury or death they can react to it. We need to see what the facts say to support which way it happened.”

    Trayvon Martin's parents and George Zimmerman's newly-hired attorney speak to Brian Williams after Florida Special Prosecutor Angela Corey announced that charges had been filed in the case.

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  • Vote: Do you agree with the decision to charge George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin?

     

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  • Attorney General Eric Holder: People 'rightly concerned' about Trayvon Martin death

    By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Updated at 6:18 p.m. ET: Attorney General Eric Holder told a civil rights group on Wednesday people were “rightly concerned” about the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, and if the Justice Department found evidence of a potential federal civil rights crime, officials would take “appropriate action.”


    Holder made his remarks to a gathering of the National Action Network, founded by Rev. Al Sharpton, host of MSNBC PoliticsNation. Later in the day, a special prosecutor in Florida announced that George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman who shot Martin, would be charged with second-degree murder.

    “I know that many of you are greatly -- and rightly -- concerned about the recent shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a young man whose future has been lost to the ages,” Holder told the group’s annual convention.

    Though an ongoing Justice Department investigation prevented Holder from speaking in detail about the case, he said several officials had traveled to Sanford, Fla. – where Martin was shot – to meet with the boy’s family, the community and local authorities.

    “If we find evidence of a potential federal criminal civil rights crime, we will take appropriate action,” Holder said.

    His comments came ahead of a 6 p.m. ET press conference by Angela Corey, the special prosecutor appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott to re-examine the case. Corey announced the second-degree murder charge and said Zimmerman was in custody in Florida.

    On Tuesday, the attorneys for Zimmerman said they had lost touch with their client and were withdrawing from the case. Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig said at a news conference outside the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford that Zimmerman had contacted the special prosecutor against their advice.

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  • Shots fired at Sanford police car near Trayvon Martin slaying site

    Sanford police say their marked patrol car was shot at several times while parked outside a Florida elementary school, near the gated community where Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

    By Sevil Omer, NBC News

    Updated at 4:48 p.m. ET: Police in Sanford, Fla., say a marked patrol car was shot at several times Tuesday morning while parked near the gated community where teenager Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.

    No one was inside the cruiser at the time of the 4:30 a.m. shooting, according to Seminole County Sheriff's Office deputies, NBC News affiliate WESH-TV in Orlando reported.


    Several bullets damaged the car’s front windshield, a side door window and the hood, Sanford Police Sgt. David Morgenstern told msnbc.com.

    "I don't know how many bullets were fired, but I can say that it was several. We're checking and looking into everything," Morgenstern said.

    Morgenstern would not provide any other details.

    The patrol car was parked outside Bentley Elementary School to deter tour buses from using the school’s property during the day and evening, according to Morgenstern.

    Mich. teacher: I was fired over Trayvon Martin fundraiser

    A Michigan school teacher says she was fired for helping students organize a fundraiser for the family of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer. WDIV-TV's Lauren Podell reports.

    He said police stationed a patrol car at the school with the aim of helping students and teachers navigate through the increased traffic.  A number of tour buses have headed into the area to visit the shooting site, Morgenstern said.

    "Apparently the buses are coming in to pay their respects to the Trayvon Martin memorial," Morgenstern said.

    The elementary school is across the street from Retreat at Twin Lakes, the gated subdivision where the 17-year-old Martin was shot to death by George Zimmerman, 28, a neighborhood watch volunteer, on Feb. 26. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, telling police Martin attacked him. Martin, who was black, was unarmed. Zimmerman, whose father is white and mother is Hispanic, has not been charged. 

    George Zimmerman takes to Web to raise money for legal costs, lawyers confirm

    A special prosecutor is looking into the case. The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI are also conducting their own investigations.

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  • Racial slur on Mich. road sign targets Trayvon Martin

    By Sevil Omer, NBC News

    Michigan authorities on Monday launched an investigation after a racial slur targeting Trayvon Martin was discovered on an electronic construction sign along a Detroit-area interstate.  

    Michigan State Police told NBC News affiliate WDIV-TV that someone hacked the road sign along I-94 around 1 a.m. Monday and posted "TRAYVON A N*****".

    Martin was shot to death by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, at a gated community in Sanford, Fla. on Feb. 26. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, telling police Martin attacked him. Martin was unarmed.

    Motorists who saw the sign heading into Dearborn, Mich., pulled over and reported the sign to state troopers.

    "I feel violated by it," Elaine Bonner told WDIV-TV. 

    Michigan Department of Transportation spokesperson Rob Morosi said someone broke into the sign’s operating system and put up the racial slur, changing the original message.

    The message on the construction sign was taken down before Monday’s morning commute.

    Read the full story, watch video at ClickonDetroit.com
    Prosecutor in Martin case won't go to grand jury


    Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Transportation are investigating and have turned to the public for help in finding those responsible for the hacking.

    "Whoever it is needs to be found. They changed the message, now find the messenger,"the Rev. Wendell Anthony, Detroit NAACP president, told WDIV-TV.

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  • 'Eyes of the communities are upon her': Prosecutor weighs Trayvon Martin case

    Special prosecutor State Attorney Angela Corey has decided not to use a grand jury – but it remains to be seen whether or not George Zimmerman will be charged for shooting Florida teen Trayvon Martin. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

    By Sevil Omer, msnbc.com

    Updated at 7:15 p.m. ET: After dismissing the use of a grand jury, the special prosecutor investigating the slaying of Trayvon Martin must now decide whether to charge shooter George Zimmerman with a crime or drop the case.

    It will not be an easy task, said Don Mairs, a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville, Fla. He said the legal community in Florida has been closely watching developments in the highly-charged investigation and its outcome.

    "The prosecutor will have to strip away the emotion of it and get down to what happened and from there see if it was justified or not," Mairs said. “She knows the eyes of the communities are upon her, watching to see what the government is going to do about this case.”

    State Attorney Angela Corey, appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to investigate the case, said her decision on Monday ruling out the use of the grand jury was not considered a factor in whether charges are eventually brought against Zimmerman.

    "At this time, the investigation continues and there will be no further comment from this office," Corey said in a statement Monday.


    Her announcement came a day ahead of when the grand jury, scheduled by a previous prosecutor, was set to convene in Sanford, Fla.  

    Martin, a 17-year-old from Miami Gardens, was shot to death by Zimmerman, 28, a neighborhood watch volunteer, at a gated community in Sanford on Feb. 26. Though Martin was unarmed, Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, telling police Martin attacked him.

    George Zimmerman takes to Web to raise money for legal costs, lawyers confirm

    Corey’s office gave no indication when a decision on whether or not to file charges would be made. The case is also under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI.

    If Zimmerman is charged, he could most likely face second-degree murder or manslaughter charges at the state level, Mairs said.

    “Ultimately she has to prove it,” Mairs said. “She has to be the one to know whether a crime was committed and establish it.”

    The case has led to protests and sparked debate nationwide about race and the laws of self-defense, particularly Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, which gives Floridians the right to use deadly force to defend themselves in public places without first trying to escape. Martin was black; Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is Hispanic.

    Racial slur on Michigan road sign targets Trayvon Martin

    The Martin family and their lawyer, Benjamin Crump, have claimed the teen wasn't the aggressor, saying his race played a role in the fatal shooting. On Monday, the lawyer said he welcomed Corey’s decision.

    "We are not surprised by this announcement and, in fact, are hopeful that a decision will be reached very soon to arrest George Zimmerman and give Trayvon Martin's family the simple justice they have been seeking all along," Crump said in a statement.

    "The family has been patient throughout this process and asks that those who support them do the same during this very important investigation."

    The case sparked protest in Sanford on Monday, forcing the temporary closing of the Sanford Police Department offices after six demonstrators blocked the entrance to the building, NBC reported.

    "The city of Sanford hopes the actions of the students will be as peaceful and orderly as the previous rallies and marches have been," City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. said in a statement.

    No charges have been filed in the case.

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  • Trayvon Martin's parents to lead rally on anniversary of MLK Jr. assassination

    By Brian Hamacher, NBCMiami.com

    MIAMI -- Several marches and rallies to demand an arrest in the shooting of Miami teen Trayvon Martin will take place Wednesday, including a nighttime rally led by his parents in conjunction with a candlelight memorial on the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.


    Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton will lead the Trayvon Martin March for Justice beginning at 6 p.m. on MLK Boulevard at Northwest 8th Avenue that will include a "Reclaim the Dream" candlelight memorial service and gospel concert.

    See video, read the original story at NBCMiami.com

    The free concert will feature James Fortune & Fiya, Vickie Winans, the Wardlaw Brothers, and Sensere.

    King, a clergyman and civil rights activist, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

    Handout / Reuters

    Trayvon Martin in a family photo.

    Before the rally, City of Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones will hold a Peace Walk at Sherdavia Jenkins Peace Park in memory of the 9-year old girl who was killed by a stray bullet in Liberty City in 2006. After the ceremony, Commissioner Spence-Jones will lead the group to join the Martin march.

    Hundreds are expected to attend a rally in Tallahassee Wednesday night to protest the Miami teen's shooting by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman at a gated community in Sanford on Feb. 26.

    The Miami Gardens teen was visiting with his father at his father's girlfriend's home in the gated community and had gone to buy a bag of Skittles and iced tea at a nearby convenience store and was walking back when the shooting happened.

    Though Martin was unarmed, Zimmerman told police the shooting was self-defense, and no charges have been filed in the case. Zimmerman remains in hiding, though his attorney, Craig Sonner said Monday that Zimmerman would surrender to authorities if he's charged.

    On Tuesday, it was announced that Orlando criminal defense attorney Hal Uhrig would be joining Zimmerman's defense team, according to WESH.

    Also on Tuesday, Miami-Dade County commissioners called for a repeal of the "Stand Your Ground" law and passed a resolution urging the Florida Legislature to convene hearings on the statute. State Senator Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale also announced on Tuesday that he formed his own task force to look into the law.

    Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee Jr., who has temporarily stepped down pending the investigation into the shooting, had said there was no probable cause to arrest Zimmerman, citing the state's controversial law.

    Zimmerman told police he had been following Martin but was walking back to his car when the teen approached him from behind, punched him in the face, got on top of him while he was on the ground and started bashing his head into the sidewalk.

    Police said Zimmerman had a bloody nose, gash on the back of his head and grass stains on the back of his shirt. Zimmerman's family and Sonner say the 28-year-old also had his nose broken by Martin.

    Zimmerman's brother said the neighborhood watch volunteer was in a fight for his life the night of the shooting, and insists the cries for help heard on a 911 call from the scene are his brother's.

    Martin's family and their attorney claim the cries for help came from the teen. They also say Martin was not the aggressor, and claim a Sanford Police video that shows Zimmerman hours after the fatal confrontation refutes that he was injured.

    Florida Gov. Rick Scott has appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation into Martin's death. The FBI and U.S. Justice Department are also investigating the shooting.

    Earlier Monday, Martin family attorney Benjamin Attorney sent a formal request to the Justice Department requesting they examine Seminole County State Attorney Norm Wolfinger's interactions with police the night of the shooting.

    Crump, who represents parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, said in his letter that he wants the department to look into possible interference by Wolfinger's office with the Sanford Police investigation.

    Last week, it was revealed that the Sanford Police Department requested an arrest warrant from the Seminole County State Attorney's Office in the shooting, but the state attorney's office held off until the case could be further reviewed.

    There's no indication the prosecutor went to the scene of the shooting, but in a police report of the incident, there's an indication that Sanford Police may have felt a manslaughter charge was warranted in the case.

    On the incident report, the case was described as "homicide-negligent manslaughter-unnecessary killing to prevent an unlawful act."

    Sanford Police issued a statement, saying that it was inaccurate to say an officer at the scene of the shooting wanted an arrest based on the "Uniform Crime Code" listed on the report.

    "All police reports from all law enforcement agencies require a 'Uniform Crime Code' to qualify an incident and for statistical purposes for tracking types of incidents," the statement said. "This code does not indicate a formal charge that will be lodged against an alleged offender. It is used for internal processing and to type cases."

    According to Crump's letter to Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roy Austin, Lee and Wolfinger overruled the recommendation of lead homicide investigator Chris Serino, who recommended the arrest of shooter George Zimmerman.

    Serino filed an affidavit stating he didn't find Zimmerman's statements on the shooting credible, Crump said. He added that members of Zimmerman's family were also present at the Sanford Police station the night of the shooting.
     
    Wolfinger on Monday denied interfering with police in charging Zimmerman with manslaughter.

    Communities all across the nation have been galvanized by the event. The shooting has led to numerous marches and protests throughout South Florida and across the country, as Martin's family and supporters demand Zimmerman's arrest.

    Wednesday evening, St. Fort Funeral Home in North Miami Beach will hold a memorial service to pay respects to the Martin family and friends. The service begins at 6 p.m.

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