Court hearing for George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain who is charged with the second-degree murder of unarmed black 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a gated community in Sanford, FL, on 26 Feb. Zimmerman says he shot Martin in self-defense and his case sparked nationwide protests and debates about the rights to self-defense and racial profiling, with President Barack Obama saying 'if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon'. A not guilty plea was entered in May and Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara has said his client could invoke Florida's 'stand your ground' law, which allows the use of deadly force by anyone who feels a reasonable threat of death of serious injury. Zimmerman, whose father is white and mother Hispanic, handed himself in after prosecutor Angela Corey announced the charge on 11 Apr, for which he could face life in prison if convicted.
Case no. 2012-CF-001083-A
Event Start Date: 2012-10-17
Event End Date: 2012-10-17