A date has been set: George Zimmerman will go to trial on June 10, 2013, for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
The trial date was set Wednesday during a docket sounding with Judge Debra Nelson, who took over the case in late August. Zimmerman was not in court when the decision was made.
Today’s hearing only lasted about 10 minutes.
Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara said his client and his wife Shellie are in hiding right now. They did not appear in court today, just their lawyers.
“I think June 10th is a good target date. It’s what, seven or eight months off? Gives us some time to get ready and if the discovery goes the way it should, if we are not stalled in getting our discovery, then we’ll be ready for June,” O’Mara said.
Today’s hearing was the first time we saw the new judge — Debra Nelson.
A formal hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday. Zimmerman is expected to be in court for that date.
Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for shooting and killing Trayvon Martin in February.
He has claimed he shot the teen in self-defense, saying Martin attacked him and citing Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. However, prosecutors alleged Zimmerman spotted and profiled the teen, assumed he was about to commit a crime and followed him.
Zimmerman’s legal team said it will likely request a “Stand Your Ground” hearing for April or May 2013 to determine if the law applies to this case. If the judge finds it does, the charges against Zimmerman could be dropped.
George Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie, is also scheduled in court on Dec. 12. Shellie Zimmerman was arrested in June on perjury charges. Prosecutors said she lied in court about the couple’s finances during her husband’s first bond hearing in April.
(Source: Huffington Post)
