Sanford, Florida 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death in a racially-motivated attack. Residents of the central Florida city say the action was taken by vigilante George Zimmerman who has not been arrested., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Zimmerman released on $1 million bail
Sat Jul 7, 2012 2:9AM GMT
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George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed unarmed African American teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida, has been released from prison.
Zimmerman left the Seminole County Jail on Friday, a day after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester approved bail of $1 million, The Associated Press reported.
However, Zimmerman is required to stay in Seminole County and must be electronically monitored.
"He's very happy to be out," Don West, one of Zimmerman's attorneys, told reporters outside the jail. "Certainly it's been a sobering experience spending the last month in jail in that kind of environment."
In April, Zimmerman was released on a $150,000 bond, but the judge revoked it in June and sent him back to jail, citing the fact that both Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about their finances, especially about the money raised from a website soliciting cash for Zimmerman's defense.
On June 12, Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie Zimmerman, was arrested and charged with perjury.
On the same day, Trayvon Martin's parents denounced the way the state's controversial "stand your ground" law can be used to protect aggressors and called for the law to be amended.
Martin’s family is asking the state of Florida to ratify the "Trayvon Martin" amendment to the "stand your ground" law, which would state that "you can't pursue or start a fight and use the law," Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Martin’s family, said.
The “stand your ground" allows people to use deadly force if they feel their life is in danger. Over 300,000 Floridians have signed a petition demanding that the law be repealed.
Martin, a 17-year-old African American teenager, was gunned down by the 28-year-old Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida on February 26.
Zimmerman maintains he acted in self-defense.
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