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Judge sets Zimmerman bond at $1 million

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Published: July 5, 2012 at 12:45 PM

SANFORD, Fla., July 5 (UPI) -- A Florida judge Thursday ordered George Zimmerman, who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, released on $1 million bail.

Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. also ordered Zimmerman to wear a satellite monitoring device and put him on a 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara said Friday Zimmerman's legal defense fund had a balance of $211,000. That would be more than enough to pay the 10 percent non-refundable amount of bail charged by most bonding companies.

It remained unclear how long it would take for Zimmerman to be released, the Sentinel said.

Zimmerman had been free on $150,000 bond for five weeks after the crime watch volunteer's Feb. 26 killing of Martin, who was unarmed.

But Lester ordered Zimmerman, 28, to return to Seminole County Jail June 1 because Zimmerman's wife testified under oath the couple had little money. Bank records later revealed money was flowing in from a Web site to support Zimmerman at a rate of $1,000 a day.

Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda asked Lester to deny Zimmerman bond, saying he had killed an innocent teen and worked with his wife to transfer money between accounts and hide it.

But O'Mara argued Zimmerman was not dangerous or a flight risk and said he has a strong self-defense case.

Zimmerman told authorities he had called police and reported Trayvon as a suspicious person, then lost sight of him and was walking back to his truck when he said the teen punched him, knocked him to the ground and began banging his head into a sidewalk.

O'Mara provided evidence he said proved Zimmerman, who has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, acted in self-defense. The evidence O'Mara presented Friday and released to the press Monday included a medical report that says Zimmerman had two cuts on his scalp -- one less than an inch long and the other much smaller. They did not require stitches.

The report documents bruising below Zimmerman's nose and the black eyes.

Topics: George Zimmerman
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