Shooter of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, may have seriously shot his own defense in the foot by lying about his assets during a bail hearing .
Zimmerman was ordered yesterday to surrender within 48 hours after serious omissions made during his initial bail hearing were uncovered. In addition to being untruthful about the amount of money collected via his website to mount a defense in the case, it was also discovered that the defendant was in possession of a second, replacement passport after losing is first. Zimmerman did not disclose the replacement passport to the court.
As George Zimmerman is heavily relying on his account of events on the evening of Trayvon Martin’s death to sway a jury under Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground laws, a deliberate attempt to conceal material information so early in the game has a lot of game-changing potential. Orlando-area former prosecutor Randy McClean explains that the circumstance of Zimmerman being ordered back to jail due to the fact he deliberately mislead the court could seriously undermine his credibility as the trial progresses:
“The other key witness, unfortunately, is deceased,” McClean said. “Basically, Zimmerman is going to be asking the jury to believe his version of the facts. … As the case stands now, his credibility is absolutely critical to the case.”
Circuit judge Kenneth Lester did not look kindly on the falsehoods presented in court, addressing a lawyer for George Zimmerman:
“Does your client get to sit there like a potted plant and lead the court down the primrose path? That’s the issue,” Lester said. “He can’t sit back and obtain the benefit of a lower bond based upon those material falsehoods.”
According to USAToday , Zimmerman will have a chance to “explain himself,” at a later hearing, which is more than Trayvon Martin got.