A NEIGHBORHOOD watch volunteer accused of shooting dead an unarmed black teenager in the US state of Florida is seeking a new bail hearing after he was ordered back to prison.
George Zimmerman, 28, faces second degree murder charges over the death of Trayvon Martin, 17, who was headed home from a late-night run to a convenience store in Sanford, Florida when he was shot after a confrontation.
The racially-charged case caused an uproar in the United States, mainly over authorities' initial reluctance to press charges against Mr Zimmerman, who insists that he acted in self-defense in the February 26 incident.
A judge on Saturday revoked Mr Zimmerman's bail and ordered him to return to jail after prosecutors argued he had misled the court about having no money, despite tens of thousands of dollars sitting in online fundraising accounts.
Mr Zimmerman, who is Peruvian-American, turned himself in shortly before a 48-hour deadline to surrender expired.
Today, his lawyer Mark O'Mara said he would file a motion for a second bond hearing.
"While Mr Zimmerman acknowledges that he allowed his financial situation to be misstated in court, the defense will emphasis that in all other regards, Mr Zimmerman has been forthright and co-operative," Mr O'Mara said.
"Certainly there is a credibility question that now needs to be rehabilitated ... We'll address it."
The judge in April set Mr Zimmerman's bond at $US150,000 ($155,271), but prosecutors say that figure relied on "false representations and statements" by the defendant and his wife.
Mr Zimmerman's wife testified at the time that the couple had no assets or income to put toward a bond. The suspect's father said he was prepared to take out a second mortgage on his house to help raise the money.
Prosecutors also accused Mr Zimmerman on Saturday of owning two passports and failing to surrender the second one at the bond hearing in April.
Mr Zimmerman had reported in 2004 that it had been lost or stolen, but in its motion, the prosecution quoted jailhouse calls between Mr Zimmerman and his wife talking about the second passport.
Mr Zimmerman's return to jail represents just the latest twist in the case, which prompted protests in several US cities and comments from President Barack Obama, who said if he'd had a son, he would have looked like Martin.
Prosecutors say Martin was simply "minding his own business" when he was accosted and shot dead by Mr Zimmerman after buying some Skittles and a bottle of ice tea from a local store.
Mr Zimmerman told police he had been tracking Martin after viewing him as suspicious but shot purely in self-defense after being assaulted. Police photos released later showed a bloody gash on the back of the guard's head.
The racially-charged case caused an uproar in the United States, mainly over authorities' initial reluctance to press charges against Mr Zimmerman, who insists that he acted in self-defense in the February 26 incident.
A judge on Saturday revoked Mr Zimmerman's bail and ordered him to return to jail after prosecutors argued he had misled the court about having no money, despite tens of thousands of dollars sitting in online fundraising accounts.
Mr Zimmerman, who is Peruvian-American, turned himself in shortly before a 48-hour deadline to surrender expired.
Today, his lawyer Mark O'Mara said he would file a motion for a second bond hearing.
"While Mr Zimmerman acknowledges that he allowed his financial situation to be misstated in court, the defense will emphasis that in all other regards, Mr Zimmerman has been forthright and co-operative," Mr O'Mara said.
"Certainly there is a credibility question that now needs to be rehabilitated ... We'll address it."
The judge in April set Mr Zimmerman's bond at $US150,000 ($155,271), but prosecutors say that figure relied on "false representations and statements" by the defendant and his wife.
Mr Zimmerman's wife testified at the time that the couple had no assets or income to put toward a bond. The suspect's father said he was prepared to take out a second mortgage on his house to help raise the money.
Prosecutors also accused Mr Zimmerman on Saturday of owning two passports and failing to surrender the second one at the bond hearing in April.
Mr Zimmerman had reported in 2004 that it had been lost or stolen, but in its motion, the prosecution quoted jailhouse calls between Mr Zimmerman and his wife talking about the second passport.
Mr Zimmerman's return to jail represents just the latest twist in the case, which prompted protests in several US cities and comments from President Barack Obama, who said if he'd had a son, he would have looked like Martin.
Prosecutors say Martin was simply "minding his own business" when he was accosted and shot dead by Mr Zimmerman after buying some Skittles and a bottle of ice tea from a local store.
Mr Zimmerman told police he had been tracking Martin after viewing him as suspicious but shot purely in self-defense after being assaulted. Police photos released later showed a bloody gash on the back of the guard's head.
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