A Florida judge denied George Zimmerman’s request to remove his 24-hour GPS tracking device Tuesday (Dec. 11). Judge Debra Nelson, also ruled that the accused killer, who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin back in February, must continue to live inside Seminole County where he currently resides.
Nelson denied Zimmerman—who was in court at the time— without offering any explanation.
The 29-year-old’s lawyer, Mike O’Mara, argued that his client has shown why he deserves to have the terms of his bond modified. O’Mara called on Zimmerman’s probation officer, Adam Vincent, who stated that the former neighborhood watch captain has complied with the terms of his probation.
Meanwhile, Bernie De La Rionda, lead prosecutor on the case, laid out his argument explaining that the state “objects strenuously” to “modification of his GPS or his boundaries.” Countering O’Mara’s claim of safety concerns, De La Rionda said that Zimmerman being tracked is a good thing. “Isn’t the defendant safer if law enforcement knows exactly where he is?”
During the hearing, both parties also debated over whose voice was heard screaming for help during a recording taken from Zimmerman’s fatal encounter with Martin. Zimmerman’s family asserts that the voice belongs to him, while the opposing side claims that it’s Martin.
Zimmerman’s trial is not set to start until next June, but O’Mara is getting impatient. “I really want to try [the case] in the courtroom, and I’m ready to try it,” he said during the proceedings. “What I don’t want is my client not to make it to that courtroom.”
Since being released $1 million bond, Zimmerman has gone into hiding, is in fear of losing his life, and routinely wears a bullet proof vest when in public.
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Photo: Getty
