George Zimmerman is headed back to the pokey after a second bail hearing, one that did not result in a decision on the case.
George Zimmerman — the self-appointed neighborhood watchman who sparked off a firestorm of racial bickering in the US when he shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in April and walked free for nearly six weeks before an arrest was made — was initially granted bail and freed following a hearing , but his own attempts to conceal both a large amount of money and a second passport prompted a judge to rescind his bond and order Zimmerman back to jail pending further hearings.
A second bond hearing today in George Zimmerman’s case focused on what prosecutors say was bald-faced deception on the part of Zimmerman and his wife after a phone call — largely spoken in coded references to the defendant’s PayPal account, which received a massive flood of donations prior to and following Zimmerman’s arrest — implicated the pair as having concealed funds.
Lawyer for Zimmerman Mark O’Mara said the subterfuge was “not the grand conspiracy the state seems to suggest,” but prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda countered:
“It was done to hide the money so they could deceive the court, lie to the court. Mrs. Zimmerman lied to the court and this defendant just sat there and let it happen.”
Much of the hearing also focused on injuries to George Zimmerman during the alleged scuffle with Trayvon Martin prior to the killing, and Zimmerman’s father again testified, saying the frantic screams heard on a 911 call belonged to his son and not the victim. Ultimately, a judge decided that further evidence must be reviewed before he allows George Zimmerman to be freed again on bail.
