Judge revokes bond for George Zimmerman, charged with 2nd-degree murder in death of Trayvon Martin.

[warrior1]

Last edited Fri Jun 1, 2012, 02:50 PM - Edit history (2)

Source: CNN


Judge revokes bond for George Zimmerman, charged with 2nd-degree murder in death of Trayvon Martin.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/

[hlthe2b]

1. THis is interesting re: request to revoke bail

Meanwhile, a new motion filed by prosecutors in the case against George Zimmerman asks Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. to revoke his bond.

In the motion, prosecutors allege Zimmerman's wife knew about the donations her husband had collected through a PayPal account, but didn't mention the money at his bond hearing.

Zimmerman's PayPal account collected more than $200,000, his attorney later revealed.

"Defendant has intentionally deceived the court with the assistance of his wife, Shelley Zimmerman. During the jail phone calls both of them spoke in code to hide what they were doing," the motion says.

The state also argues that Zimmerman has a second passport in addition to the one he surrendered.

(from the link in the OP)

[siligut]

2. How did he get a second passport?

Is that even legal?

[hlthe2b]

4. I assume he must have dual citizenship... I think that is legal if so....

Perhaps someone who knows for sure can comment?

[RufusTFirefly]

7. I thought he was both a Peruvian and American citizen. Lots of people have multiple passports. n/t

[obamanut2012]

33. Yes, two passprts are legal if you have dual citizenship

[janet118]

20. He had a new passport issued because . .

he claimed he lost his passport, received a new one, and then only turned the "lost" passport into the court.

[Scairp]

37. Yes

If you tell them you have lost your passport they will issue another one. They have no idea he's been charged with anything. They don't have time to check those things out.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

14. "The fact that he withheld a second passport is a very serious matter..."

Also mentioned the finances. Just now on MSNBC. "As it stands now, he is headed for jail, and he is going to stay there."

[obamanut2012]

34. Both are VERY serious issues

Wow.

[freshwest]

3. Yes, this was discussed earlier here, how he'd decieved the court. I wonder what his attorney's

Response will be to keep their client out of confinement, and if the stories of his spending spree reached the court.

Did he file as indigent with the court, or is this only about lying in court to hide his assets from the law?

[jwirr]

65. I think he failed to tell the court about money he was collecting on a web site for his defense and

living costs until after the bail hearing.

[freshwest]

66. I think the excuse given was that he didn't know how much it was. But he's dumb enough to lie.

It is unwise to lie to a judge like one might lie to someone else. I don't think he took the hearing seriously, JMHO.

[pennylane100]

5. It would be good to see him in jail until trial

and the second passport is definitely a good reason. What I do not understand is why collecting money for his defense is also mentioned. I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and if it helps put him away, so be it. My question is more of a legal curiosity. Is it illegal to collect funds for a legal defense. That should also put Scott Walker and many other politicians behind bars, so what am I missing here. Please no comments about a higher IQ.

[kirby]

8. It is not illegal to collect funds for defense...

The point is that when a judge sets the amount of bail, one thing they consider is the financial assets of the person. The bail is typically set as a deterrent to fleeing. Typically a person only has to put down 10% of the bond amount in cash.
So his original $150,000 bail amount would only require him to put down $15,000. That might be a deterrent for most people with a low income, but someone who has $200,000 of donations sitting in a paypal account could not only afford that, but could easily leave the country.

[brush]

69. What's missing

He didn't disclose that he had the 200k. He lied and said he was broke.

[barbtries]

6. do it judge

lock his ass up!

[FarPoint]

63. Absolutely!.... LOCK HIM UP!

I just tuned in...so I'm picking this great news a little late.

[former9thward]

9. This is a standard attempt by prosecutors to influence the jury pool.

They know Zimmerman is not going anywhere. They just want to throw out accusations in court filings and try to show potential jurors that Zimmerman is a liar and deceitful. Typical prosecution tactic and I doubt the judge will go for it.

[Hissyspit]

12. @Reuters: Judge revokes George Zimmerman's bond, says Zimmerman misrepresented financial status.

[former9thward]

24. There will be another hearing.

The judge will ask a higher amount. Zimmerman has shown no signs of flight and has cooperated with law enforcement since this began. Again, I repeat, this is a typical prosecution tactic which I have seen many times.

[frylock]

40. the passport is what is going to cook this lying asshole

[rocktivity]

45. If the judge were to decide that replacing your passport TWO WEEKS AFTER YOU'VE SHOT SOMEONE

qualifies as a "sign of flight," and that deliberately lying about how much bond money you have qualifies as "not cooperating with the court" -- well, let's just say that I wouldn't be that surprised!


rocktivity

[LisaL]

49. He didn't replace it two weeks after he shot someone.

He got a second passport in 2004.

[rocktivity]

55. But still, he didn't lose the first one, obviously

and should have turned both of them over.


rocktivity

[janet118]

25. Guess what? He is a liar.

According to prosecutor, he and his wife were discussing the money from the website in code over the phone while he was still in jail.so they knew and were hiding it. The judge, who will be in charge of Zimmerman's trial, was beyond pissed that they had been playing games in court. He is not just a liar. He is a stupid liar.

It also sheds light on his and his family's penchant for easy lying and casts aspersions on his statements about what happened during the shooting. Yeah, I'm sure he was going back to his car when Trayvon "attacked" him - that sounds true. Not.

[Cosmocat]

46. Yes, because there is nothing about this twit

that indicates he would just up and leave the country.

His past behavior indicates a stable and level headed person.

Not someone who has been charged with domestic violence or assaulting a law enforement officer.
Not someone who was so irrattic and hard to find that his first defense attorney quit.
Not someone who failed to turn in his passport and failed to properly account for his finances.

[crayfish]

10. I certainly understand why witnesses are scared to tell what they know.

It isn't mysterious...

[crayfish]

11. If he has all this cash and a passport and was going to flee why hasn't he done so?

This is odd.

[Neoma]

15. Because he didn't always have the cash?

[goclark]

28. Why didn't he get it from his no good Daddy

who took up for him before this happened?

[Neoma]

39. Because he's an idiot.

Some murderers are smart at it. This isn't one of them.

[lark]

16. He thinks this is redneck FL and he will win

He's part of the 1%, so the verdict is certain. (miss the sarcasm smilie) I'd bet his judge dad's busy leaning on folks to make sure this happens. So far he's been able to keep his son out of jail, despite several arrests, just don't think it'll happen this time.

[rocktivity]

44. The sarcasm smilies are still around

rocktivity

[Bjorn Against]

61. He probably has not had a chance to flee

I suspect he has been under heavy surveillance for some time now.

[onehandle]

13. Time to track the NRAers who have been donating to him. nt

[Stargazer09]

17. He has 48 hours to surrender

I wonder if he will show up this time around.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

18. They always get away

Especially when they have secret passports.

[Stargazer09]

21. It will be interesting to see

What happens next.

Interesting choice of words. I see what you did there.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

22. Yep.

My first thought is that his honesty as been a subject of debate, but now that he has basically been caught lying, how is this going to affect a jury (if this goes to trial). I mean, he's George Zimmerman...not John Edwards.

[Stargazer09]

26. IF this goes to trial

(assuming that he hasn't already fled the country), the prosecution can certainly have a field day with the guy's history of lying.

Hopefully, that history combined with the evidence will be enough to convict him. But we have to get to the trial first, and I foresee more shenanigans before that time arrives.

[Cosmocat]

47. This is why I have said he will be found guilty

he can not, not testify because he has to testify to get his account of what happened on the record.

Once that can of worms (his mouth) is opened, he is going to be a complete train wreck.

This is the kind of situation any prosecutor would LOVE.

Having a moron HAVE to testify.

[Bjorn Against]

62. It is doubtful that he will testify

Suspects usually don't testify because it is very risky to do so, prosecutors know how to trip people up in cross examination and the defense would much rather see them trip up a witness who was not the defendant than Zimmerman himself. The job of the defense attorney is not necessarily to present Zimmerman's story, it is to establish reasonable doubt that would make people question the prosecutor's version of events. I would love to see Zimmerman testify as well, but I think we are unlikely to see it happen.

[Cosmocat]

71. He HAS to testify

I understand fully that people don't normally testify.

MOST times in a murder case, the defense can say, well, gee, you how do you KNOW he was there?

They can cast doubt on the facts of the case.

That is not going to be an option here.

There is no doubt he was there, he did it, the weapon is in hand.

The defense is built around stand your ground.

That is going to require him saying his end of the events.

Minus this, the basic facts of the case are a half deranged loser stalking some kid making a simple 7-11 run.

There really is no way to make his defense without testifying.

He testifies, the prosecutor is going to have a field day with him, because he is a certifiable idiot.

[crayfish]

75. And that lie continues. He has not claimed any mitigation by way of SYG.

That is a affirmative defense that he or his attorneys would have to initiate. There sure is a lot of misinformation in this case. And there are a lot of people who want to lynch the guy without a trial.

[LiberalLoner]

19. I think Zimmerman hasn't fled just yet...

was that he expected the trial to go his way. I'm sure he'd prefer to stay in the US if possible. But that much money and a second passport makes him very much a flight risk IMO.

[Stargazer09]

23. I won't be surprised

If we learn that he left the country as soon as his replacement passport arrived. His lawyer said that Zimmerman's original passport was "lost or stolen," so he innocently filed for a replacement.

Does surrendering a passport as part of making bond count as a loss or a theft?

[janx]

27. When?

When did he apply for a second passport? I've read several stories about this but haven't been able to find out when.

[Stargazer09]

29. Two weeks after the shooting

Is what I read somewhere. I'd post a link, but I can't remember which site it was on. (I'm jumping through several websites right now.)

[janx]

32. Thank you--yes, only two weeks!

Unbelievable!

[Stargazer09]

35. I think he's going to run

All that cash from his newfound friends plus a shiny new passport sure would make it easy for him to escape justice.

[janx]

38. If he's going to make the attempt, he'd better hurry up--

he only has 48 hours.

[LisaL]

50. In 2004 he applied for a second passport. It's in the article.

[janet118]

73. Yes, he received a second passport in 2004 but . . .

it had a later expiration date (2014) and the "lost" passport (which would have been invalidated anyway) had a May 2012 expiration date. The invalid passport was the one that was turned into the court. Zimmerman told his wife to hold on to the reissued one which was kept in a safe deposit box. Why would they do this?

The entire Zimmerman family appears to be a nest of unapologetic liars. They must think they are just so clever they can lie their way out of anything. Too bad George and his wife talked about everything on a prison phone - duh!!! The judge didn't seem to consider the passport thing that important - I don't know if he knew that an invalid passport had been turned in to the court while the valid passport was kept in a safe deposit box. However, the lying about the available money in the bond hearing truly pissed him off.

Zimmerman was really stupid to risk messing with the same judge who is going to be hearing his case. If he planned to use passport and $$$ to jump bail, he should have done so before the ruse was discovered. Now all he's done is hit a hornets' nest with a baseball bat.

[janx]

30. Found it. He applied for a new passport TWO WEEKS

after he shot Martin!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/prosecution-requests-george-zimmermans-bond-revoked/story?id=16476183#.T8kTTVJ3ZEP

[maddezmom]

41. thank you for the link

[janx]

42. No problem, mm.

The ABC link seems to have more information than some of the others.

[LisaL]

52. It doesn't say what you claim it does.

And other articles make it clear he applied for a second passport in 2004.

[Nine]

68. Yes, it does say that. But the info may be incorrect.

Prosecutors had filed a motion today to revoke his bond, accusing Zimmerman of "deceiving" the court about his finances, even going so far as to discuss it in code words with his wife, and his possession of a second passport, which he apparently acquired two weeks after the shooting.

Regardless of when he applied for it, he asked his wife to hold onto it after the shooting, according to this:

Zimmerman spoke of the second passport while in the Seminole County Jail in a phone call to his wife that authorities recorded, Corey said. Court records provided a partial transcript:

Zimmerman: "Do you know what? I think my passport is in that bag."

Shelly (sic) Zimmerman: "I have one for you in safety deposit box ..."

Zimmerman: "OK, you hold onto that."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/01/1096658/-Ole-Zimmy-in-trouble-for-lying

[maddezmom]

64. ...

so good to see you around.

[rocktivity]

48. The shooting was 2/26; he was officially charged 4/11

And he had a "replacement" passport by March 11?

His lawyer claims that it was all his fault -- Zimmerman had given HIM the "second" passport, and he'd simply forgotten to pass it on to the court. And I've got a bridge in Brooklyn you might want to buy...





rocktivity

[HangOnKids]

60. The first passport was set to expire May 2012

The second one is good until 2014. Odd that he turned in the older "once lost" passport.

[LisaL]

51. That's false.

He applied for second passport in 2004.

[obamanut2012]

31. whoa

[onethatcares]

36. do you think he might be on the do not fly list?

I mean, if he's going to leave out of Miami international,he has to get ticketed and a boarding pass unless he has a private pilot and plane at his disposal.

[Posteritatis]

56. There's not enough melanin in his name for that. (nt)

[rocktivity]

43. Direct link

Last edited Fri Jun 1, 2012, 05:07 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/01/justice/florida-teen-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

...(The judge) appeared to accept the explanation from Zimmerman's lawyer that his client had given him a second passport that he had obtained, but that the lawyer simply forgot to hand it over to authorities until Friday.

ON EDIT: It turns out Zimmy received it only two weeks after he was charged. It never crossed the lawyer's mind that there was something weird about there BEING a second passport -- particularly since they were from the SAME country? Yeah, right...


rocktivity

[LisaL]

53. He didn't apply for it two weeks after he was charged.

He applied for it in 2004. He had therefore two passports. One expiring in 2012 and one expiring in 2014. But he didn't apply for a passport two weeks after he was charged.

[rocktivity]

54. Yes, I have since been corrected

He RECEIVED the passport two weeks after the SHOOTING, so he obviously applied for it beforehand.

But that still doesn't explain why he didn't turn them both over at the same time.


rocktivity

[LisaL]

57. No, he recieved the second passport in 2004.

[HangOnKids]

59. His First Passport Expired in May 2012

Isn't it odd/funny that he kept the one that was good until 2014? How about addressing the ethical issues of his lying, repeatedly about $$ and an extra passport.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

67. Additional details:

During Friday's motion hearing, prosecutors said that Zimmerman also failed to disclose or turn over a second passport in his possession. According to the motion, Zimmerman acquired a second passport in 2004 after filing a claim with the State Department that his original passport was lost or stolen.

But, according to prosecutors, while Zimmerman was in custody at the Seminole County jail on April 17, he had a conversation with his wife in which the couple discussed the second passport. The conversation was recorded by jail officials:

Defendant: Do you know what? I think my passport is in that bag.

Shelly Zimmerman: I have one for you in safety deposit box...

Defendant: Ok, you hold on to that.

"It really is important what the judge did, because this whole case -- the crux of this case -- is about George Zimmerman's credibility," Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Martin's family, told The Huffington Post not long after the judge's ruling. "The court found that Zimmerman was dishonest, that he lied in court."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/01/george-zimmermans-bond-re_n_1563304.html

[Hubert Flottz]

70. If the Zimmermans lied about the money they had and the extra passport...

what else are they lying about?

[libodem]

72. Everything

He seems to be a compulsive liar and a fraud.

[JNelson6563]

74. Glad to hear this.

Dare I hope that there may be some sort of justice in this case? That would be a pleasant surprise.

Julie