Bond hearing at the Seminole County Courthouse for George Zimmerman, charged in the death of Trayvon Martin.
By Becky Bratu, msnbc.com
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer facing second-degree murder charges in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin, appeared in a Florida courtroom Friday to seek his release on bond.
Zimmerman entered the courtroom wearing a suit and in chains.
At the beginning of the hearing, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, handed in his passport and began calling witnesses to testify on Zimmerman's behalf. The first witness called was his wife, Shellie Nicole Dean, who said she "absolutely" would take on the responsbiility of making sure Zimmerman doesn't try to flee his charges.
Ahead of the hearing, O'Mara suggested he would ask the judge to allow Zimmerman to leave the area -- but not the country -- if he is granted bond.
"Normally, the conditions are that you stay local. I think that is going to be difficult," O'Mara said in an interview. "I think nobody would deny the fact that if George Zimmerman were walking down the street today, he would be at risk. That is a reality."
After a previous judge recused herself because of a potential conflict of interest, Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester was assigned the case on Wednesday.
Legal experts say factors in Zimmerman's favor include his ties to the local community and the fact he turned himself in voluntarily, which suggests he may not be a flight risk. He also has never been convicted of a crime, which experts say could be taken as an indication he doesn't pose a threat to society.
"Although it's not routine for people charged with murder to get bond, they do get bond, and I think there is an excellent argument to be made in his specific case for him to be released on bond," said defense attorney Randy McClean, who practices in Seminole County, about 15 miles northeast of Orlando.
On Thursday night, Zimmerman reached out to ask to speak to Martin’s parents, but they rejected that request, the family's attorney, Benjamin Crump, told NBC Miami.
The family did not want to talk with Zimmerman because they felt he had never publicly apologized for what happened to their son and they thought it was inappropriate to do so at the 11th hour before his bond hearing, according to Crump.
Zimmerman, 28, is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 26 shooting of Martin, 17, in a gated community in Sanford, Fla.
Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting. ABC News said it had obtained an exclusive photo of the back of Zimmerman's head, which appears bloody and may help substantiate his claims.
NBC Miami and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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