Trayvon Martin Shooting: George Zimmerman Judge Looks at Donations, Bail Amount
SANFORD, Fla., April 27, 2012— -- Prosecutors in the Trayvon Martin shooting case asked a Florida judge today to increase the bail amount for George Zimmerman after news that the 17-year-old's killer had raised more than $200,000 through a Paypal account on his website.
Circuit Court judge Kenneth Lester Jr said he wanted to scrutinize the account to learn more about who opened the site, who managed it and exactly how much money it contained.
The site called "Therealgeorgezimmerman.com" was closed earlier this week after Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara took control over and deposited the money in trust accounts, he told the court today. Zimmerman faces second-degree murder charges for shooting 17-year-old Martin on February 26.
In a CNN interview Thursday, O'Mara said he was surprised to learn about the money. "He asked me what to do with his PayPal accounts, and I asked him what he was talking about," O'Mara said. "He said those were the accounts that had the money from the website he had. And there was about ... $204,000 that had come in to date."
Judge Lester said he would not make any "snap" decisions today as he deliberates what to do regarding the previously undisclosed account.
Last week, Zimmerman's attorney said his client was "financially indigent," in arguing for a lower bail. And in her testimony, Zimmerman's mother said she was willing to mortgage her home to put up bail. Early this week O'Mara told ABC News the Zimmermans had put up certain assets to secure bond for their son.
O'Mara asked that the names of the donors requested by the judge be revealed only in the judge's chambers to shield the hitherto anonymous Zimmerman donors from "ridicule and danger."
Zimmerman, 28, was a neighborhood watch volunteer when he saw Martin walking through his gated community, followed him, and shot him. Zimmerman was released early Monday on $150,000 bail --.his family put up 10 percent to secure his release. His current location is unknown.
