Story highlights
Defense says $75,000 to $120,000 needed for rest of case
Fund currently has less than $5,000
Lawyers have worked for free, the defense team says
Trial begins June 10
The defense team for George Zimmerman says it needs at least $70,000 more to give their client “a fighting chance” in his upcoming trial, according to a post on the website gzdefensefund.com.
Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer accused of killing Trayvon Martin in February 2012, is scheduled to stand trial June 10.
It is not the first time the website has sounded a dire warning. In mid-April, it said the Zimmerman defense fund “is now running at a deficit, and it is unclear how the defense will be funded moving forward.”
On Wednesday, the defense wrote that it had less than $5,000 in the trust account and liabilities of more than $20,000. On January 3, the fund had $314,000, according to an earlier post.
“We’ve calculated that we need another $120,000 to give George the defense he deserves. At the barest minimum, we need $75,000 to give George a fighting chance,” the post says.
Zimmerman attorneys: Texts show Martin ‘hostile’ day of shooting
The post says the defense needs to spend thousands of dollars on depositions and expert testimony at trial. Zimmerman’s two attorneys have worked for free, the writing said.
Zimmerman, who is charged with with second-degree murder, said he acted in self-defense when he shot Martin during a confrontation with the unarmed teenager in a Sanford, Florida, neighborhood.
The shooting put a national spotlight on Zimmerman’s hometown of Sanford, Florida, and sparked fresh debates about race relations and gun laws.
At a hearing Tuesday, Judge Debra Nelson ruled that Martin’s familiarity with guns, his marijuana use and fights he may have been in cannot be brought up during trial.