海角大神

George Zimmerman, who stands accused of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, hasn't done himself any favors with the court during his bond escapades, the judge overseeing his case made clear this week. And that, say some legal analysts, could come back to haunt him during the next major step in his defense: the self-defense hearing.

Although Seminole County (Fla.) Judge Kenneth Lester ruled Thursday that Mr. Zimmerman, who had been returned to jail after first bond was revoked, could be free on $1 million bail, his order also gave a stiff assessment of the defendant's actions to date.聽

George Zimmerman, the judge's summation said, had masterminded a plot with his wife to manipulate the criminal justice system, may have planned to use $130,000 in donated money to flee the country before trial, and whose lawyer improperly portrayed him in court hearings as a scared young man, when the 鈥渙nly male whose youth is relevant鈥� was Trayvon Martin.

With Judge Lester鈥檚 stern order, it appears that a case that many experts expected would be difficult for the prosecution to prove has become more problematic for Zimmerman. His defense team will have to lay out its version of events leading up to Trayvon's shooting against the backdrop of Zimmerman's damaged credibility 鈥� in front of a judge whose neutrality about the defendant's honesty has been sorely tested.聽

鈥淎 witness鈥檚 credibility is everything, and the judge views everything Zimmerman says with a suspicious eye,鈥� Mark NeJame, an attorney in Orlando, Fla., told the Palm Beach Post on Friday.聽

Zimmerman has said聽that he simply stood his ground, as permitted under Florida law, and shot Trayvon in self-defense after the boy attacked him. The prosecution, which has charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder, says the defendant profiled Trayvon as a criminal, followed him, confronted him, and then shot and killed him when Trayvon defended himself.

Under Florida law, anyone claiming a Stand Your Ground defense is allowed a pretrial hearing before the judge. The defendant gets to make his case, per a landmark 2005 law, as to why he had no duty to retreat and how he used reasonable force in self-defense. If the judge agrees, the defendant is granted immunity from prosecution, and the case is thrown out.

At that as-yet-unscheduled Stand Your Ground hearing, Zimmerman is widely expected to take the stand to explain what happened, and also to be cross-examined by prosecutors, legal experts say.聽

Lester is the judge who will preside over that hearing.聽

鈥淎s a human being, Lester is going to be suspicious of Zimmerman鈥檚 testimony, but as a judge, and he is a good judge, he鈥檚 going to put his feelings aside and review the facts of the case, including Zimmerman鈥檚 testimony and the physical evidence,鈥� says Blaine Chesney, an Orlando defense attorney who has been following the case. 鈥淪o, will this order complicate Zimmerman鈥檚 case? Yes. But will Judge Lester be fair and impartial? The answer to that is yes, as well.鈥�

In his order on Thursday, Lester zeroed in on the heart of the case, after reprimanding Zimmerman for 鈥渕anipulating鈥� the court and his own attorney. 鈥淭he only issue is the viability of the defendant鈥檚 self-defense/Stand Your Ground claim,鈥� he wrote.

Referring to last week鈥檚 bond hearing, at which Zimmerman was mum, Lester noted the defense鈥檚 reluctance to put Zimmerman on the stand. The defense, he wrote, 鈥渄id not offer any explanation of or justification for [Zimmerman's] deception that was subject to cross examination.鈥�

The Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon in Sanford, Fla., set of a firestorm of protest nationwide after local authorities initially declined to charge Zimmerman, saying they had no reason to doubt his claim of self-defense. But even as thousands protested the fact that an armed half-white, half-Hispanic man went free while an innocent black teenager lay dead, thousands of other Americans sent money for Zimmerman鈥檚 defense, believing he was railroaded by prosecutors and the media for doing something that they, too, would have done.

It remains uncertain whether Zimmerman will be released on bond for a second time. Lester wrote in his order that he didn鈥檛 intend the $1 million bond as a punishment, but rather as a means to reduce the risk of Zimmerman taking flight. But the bond nevertheless may have the result of leaving Zimmerman in jail.

Mark O鈥橫ara, Zimmerman's attorney, said it鈥檚 not clear his client will be able to post the bond, because the family doesn鈥檛 have $1 million in collateral. Some bailbondsmen, however, say they鈥檇 accept the arrangement because the defendant, at this point, poses a low flight risk. Previously, Zimmerman was allowed to live out of state pending trial, but now he must stay in Seminole County and cannot enter the premises of Orlando International Airport. A second passport Zimmerman acquired after the shooting has also been seized by the state.

Mr. O鈥橫ara wrote in a blog post on Thursday that Zimmerman has $211,000 in donations, but noted that will not be enough to pay for both the 10 percent required on the $1 million bond and other expenses, including legal fees. Saying that donations had slipped from about $1,000 a day after Zimmerman returned to jail on June 3, O鈥橫ara urged current and new donors to resume giving to the cause.聽

鈥淔or those who have given in the past, for those who have thought about giving, for those who feel Mr. Zimmerman was justified in his actions, for those who feel they would do the same if they were in Mr. Zimmerman鈥檚 shoes, 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 鈥� now is the time to show your support,鈥� O鈥橫ara wrote.

Some $20,000 in donations have come in since Lester ruled on the bond.