海角大神

George Zimmerman, the defendant in the Trayvon Martin murder case, pleaded for a second chance to be freed on bond at a Friday hearing that聽turned into 鈥渕initrial鈥� featuring witnesses such as paramedics, forensic accountants, a probationer, and Mr. Zimmerman鈥檚 father.

Mr. Zimmerman had been previously freed on bond, but that was revoked earlier this month when Judge Kenneth Lester agreed that Zimmerman conspired with his wife to lie to the court about the couple鈥檚 finances.

Judge Lester left the second bond hearing Friday without making a decision, but undoubtedly with a clearer view of the looming legal confrontation over the controversial killing of an unarmed black teenager in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda told the court that the state鈥檚 case will show that Zimmerman overstepped his authority as a citizen by profiling an innocent boy as a criminal, falsely acted as a police officer by pursuing him, and shot and killed Martin without sufficient evidence that his own life was actually in danger.

Zimmerman鈥檚 attorney, Mark O鈥橫ara, introduced a 911 tape that includes a scream that Zimmerman鈥檚 father said was his son鈥檚, medical records that show damage to Zimmerman鈥檚 face and head, and testimony from a paramedic who said blood covered nearly half of Zimmerman鈥檚 face on the night of the shooting. The evidence, Mr. O鈥橫ara said, was intended to suggest that the state鈥檚 case for second-degree murder is so weak that it should play a role in whether the judge should further 鈥減unish鈥� Zimmerman by letting him stay in jail until the trial.

鈥淭he strength of the state鈥檚 case for second-degree murder is something you need to take apart,鈥� O鈥橫ara told Lester.

At the heart of Lester鈥檚 looming decision is the extent to which Zimmerman鈥檚 credibility has been wrecked by his decision to conspire to deceive the court with his wife, who said on April 20 that the couple was basically penniless, even as they had been moving around $130,000 of donations from strangers in the days leading up to the bond hearing. At the time, Zimmerman sat stone-faced, 鈥渁llowing a lie to stand,鈥� O鈥橫ara conceded.

In appealing for the second bond, O鈥橫ara focused on a previous statement by the judge stating that there was a 鈥渟trong case鈥� for the second-degree murder charge.聽 O鈥橫ara said the state鈥檚 case is actually weak because, in his view, the preponderance of evidence points to a legitimate self-defense claim.

After breaking Zimmerman鈥檚 nose and allegedly hitting his head on a cement walkway at least twice, 鈥渢hen [Martin] got shot, and he was killed because of his own doing,鈥� O鈥橫ara said.

Mr. De la Rionda said he鈥檒l be glad to challenge Zimmerman on the self-defense claim, because it requires Zimmerman has to take the stand to plead his case. 鈥淥ur contention is that he鈥檚 the aggressor and the person who could claim self-defense is the victim, Trayvon Martin,鈥� De la Rionda said.

In holding what he called a 鈥渕initrial鈥� on Friday, O鈥橫ara tried to sow additional doubt about the strength of the state鈥檚 case. At one point, he called as a witness a probation officer, Alex Vincent, who said Zimmerman was a 鈥渕odel client鈥� while he was under state supervision after the first bond hearing.

The most dramatic moment came when Zimmerman鈥檚 father, Robert, took the stand and said the screaming voice on a 911 tape was 鈥渁bsolutely George鈥檚.鈥� Zimmerman noted that he had heard his son scream in a similar manner as a teenager, though not using the same words.

As that tape played in the courtroom, Trayvon鈥檚 father, Tracy Martin, shook his head.

The prosecutor pushed back, pointing out inconsistencies in Zimmerman鈥檚 story, the fact that his injuries weren鈥檛 so life-threatening as to require hospitalization, and, most critically, that the conspiracy to hide the true amount of the couple's finances raised critical questions about Zimmerman鈥檚 believability.

Zimmerman鈥檚 wife, Shellie Zimmerman, was arrested for perjury on June 12 for her statements to Lester, after jailhouse conversations that revealed the couple had used code to facilitate moving and hiding the money from a PayPal account.

鈥淢r. Zimmerman sat there and allowed [his wife to lie], manipulating the whole thing,鈥� De la Rionda said. 鈥淭hey were lying to the court, and that is the most egregious part, and makes this an even more disturbing crime.鈥�

Forensic accountant Adam Magill said that the couple had shifted about $132,000 from a PayPal account into four personal accounts to 鈥渕ake it appear that [they] didn鈥檛 have the money.鈥�

O鈥橫ara鈥檚 explanation focused on the idea that, at the time, Zimmerman had reasons to distrust a system that he had tried his best to assist through cooperation and openness.

鈥淭he point is he was attempting to trust the system, but then a prosecutor walks in from another county, moves in, charges him with second-degree murder, and now he鈥檚 facing a life sentence,鈥� O鈥橫ara said. At issue is 鈥渢he lack of trust he may have had for a system that he only got involved in by being honest and straightforward. I don鈥檛 know what goes through a 28-year-old鈥檚 mind at that point. Yeah, he mistrusted you, he mistrusted the system, he allowed a lie to exist.鈥�

If the judge agrees to a new bond, Zimmerman could leave jail as early as today. If not, he鈥檇 likely remain in jail until the trial, which is likely to happen next year.