Zimmerman's Attorney To File Motion For New Bond Hearing
MIAMI (CBS4) - Prosecutors in Sanford say recorded conversations between George Zimmerman and his wife prove they were deceiving the court and Zimmerman should remain behind bars until trial.
In more than 30 hours of recorded conversations, prosecutors say the accused killer of Trayvon Martin and wife, Shelly Zimmerman, spoke in code about financial information while George Zimmerman was in jail the first time. It's one reason why the judge revoked his bond.
Wearing a bulletproof vest under his shirt, Zimmerman returned to jail Sunday. Now, his lawyer Mark O'Mara says Zimmerman owes the judge an apology.
"I think the family made a mistake," O'Mara said.
But prosecutors call it a lie, accusing Zimmerman and his wife of intentionally making the court think they were broke at the April bond hearing.
The state says Zimmerman and his wife knew days before the bond hearing that his website had raised more than $100,000.
In court documents, prosecutors say Zimmerman "was intimately involved in the deposit and transfer of money." They say he was "directing the show" from jail, "using his wife ... to complete transfers."
"I think it was out of fear and maybe some frustration with having their entire life turned completely upside-down, and not having a level of trust with anyone they were dealing with," said O'Mara.
The state says Zimmerman spoke in code about the money while on the phone with his wife. Zimmerman asked her, "so total everything, how much are we looking at?" She replied, "like $155." Prosecutors say that was code for $155,000.
What's more, the state says Zimmerman spoke "directly to the Credit Union official" in one of the phone conversations.
O'Mara says this is a lesson learned.
"Not only the Zimmerman family, but all other witnesses who come before Judge Lester, had better tell the truth and nothing but the truth if they're going to be treated fairly," he said.
Zimmerman raised more than $205,000 on his personal website. His new legal fund has raised $37,000.
Zimmerman will likely ask the judge for another bond. If that's denied, he could stay behind bars through the trial next year.
