George Zimmerman's wife arrested, charged with perjury
Earlier this month, a judge threw George Zimmerman, the man charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, back in Sanford's John E. Polk Correctional Facility, after concluding he and his spouse had misled the court during an earlier bond hearing.
On Tuesday, his wife, Shellie Zimmerman, was booked into the same facility on a perjury charge.
According to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, deputies were alerted by prosecutors Tuesday that a warrant had been issued for Shellie Zimmerman, 25. She was arrested about 3:30 p.m. "at the location she was residing in Seminole County," deputies said in a statement.
She was booked on a perjury charge, with bond set at $1,000. She is currently "in the process of posting bond," deputies said.
The arrest comes after prosecutors in George Zimmerman's case told Judge Kenneth Lester that Shellie Zimmerman lied at her husband's finances, in order to conceal about $135,000 from the court.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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Florida shooter George Zimmerman back in jail
Surrender: George Zimmerman arrives at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility after his bond was revoked by a Florida judge in Sanford, Florida, on June 3, 2012
Back to jail: Zimmerman has been charged with second degree murder in the February 26 shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford
Custody: George Zimmerman is handcuffed and escorted into jail just before his 48-hour deadline expired
MIAMI |
(Reuters) - George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer charged in the Florida killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, returned to jail on Sunday after a court revoked his bond and ordered him to turn himself in to authorities.
Zimmerman arrived at the Sanford County jail in Sanford, Florida, shortly after 1:40 p.m. (1740 GMT) traveling in a white mini-van accompanied by sheriff's deputies and his attorney, Mark O'Mara.
On Friday a judge revoked Zimmerman's $150,000 bond, posted in April while he was awaiting trial, after prosecutors accused him of withholding one of two valid passports and said his wife did not tell the court about money donated for his legal defense.
(Writing by David Adams; Editing by Paul Simao)
George Zimmerman's Bond Revoked
A judge revoked bond today for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Florida teenager in his gated community, and ordered him to surrender himself in 48 hours.
Prosecutors had filed a motion today to revoke his bond, accusing Zimmerman of "deceiving" the court about his finances and his possession of a second passport, which he apparently acquired two weeks after the shooting.
"The court was led to believe that they didn't have a single penny," said prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda. "If this [the money] wasn't relevant to bond then why did they lie about it? I don't know what other words to use besides that it was a blatant lie."
The judge seemed to agree.
"They were well aware of the money that was available," Judge Kenneth Lester.
In recordings of conversations released today during a court hearing, Zimmerman and his wife cryptically talk about his second passport in a safety deposit box they shared.
Although one of his passports was due to expire in May, prosecutors said today, Zimmerman applied for a second passport, informing the State Department that the original had been lost lost or stolen.
In some of the phone calls between the two, she is at a credit union that was linked to his PayPal account and speaking to a teller. The prosecution said that she was "intimately involved in the deposit and transfer of funds and money into various accounts."
In the conversations Zimmerman and his wife speak in code -- reducing the amounts in their financial accounts by a factor of 1,000. Prosecutors said the couple knew that their jailhouse conversations were likely being recorded.
Zimmerman is accused of tracking down and killing teenager Trayvon Martin, who caught the attention of the neighborhood watch captain in his gated Florida community.
The new documents show that Zimmerman had $135,000 in his bank account the day before his bail hearing -- in which he declared himself financially indigent.
The prosecution and defense also have banded together against more than a dozen media companies' demands to uncork another batch of sealed records that could reveal much more about both Zimmerman and Martin that night.
The attorneys for Zimmerman and the state will likely try to keep sealed Zimmerman's statements to police, his text messages and the names and addresses of 22 witnesses who saw or heard the fighting between Zimmerman and Martin Feb. 26.
Both sides have argued that given the intense controversy and scrutiny over the shooting, keeping a lid on public information about the identity of witnesses and Zimmerman's allegedly inconsistent statements given to police the night of the shooting would enable them to more fairly pursue justice.
However, the media companies countered that violates Florida's especially open public records laws.
Zimmerman has claimed that he shot the unarmed 17-year-old Feb. 26 in self-defense.
The prosecution has accused the neighborhood watchman of "profiling" Martin, who is black; following him; and entering into a confrontation that eventually led him to draw his weapon and shoot Martin in the chest.
Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara wrote on his blog that once he receives all the evidence from the state he will begin deposing about 50 witnesses, including experts. He added the trial is now not expected to begin until 2013.
O'Mara has brought on a new co-counsel to help him with the case, Orlando attorney Donald West, who specializes in murder cases.
West resigned from his post at the federal public defender's office in
Orlando specifically to join O'Mara and defend Zimmerman.
