Judge In Zimmerman Case Not Stepping Aside
SANFORD (CBSMiami/AP) – The judge presiding over the case of George Zimmerman, the Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin last February, isn't going anywhere.
In a ruling Wednesday, Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester denied a motion by Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara to disqualify himself because of disparaging remarks he made during a bond hearing.
During that hearing Lester said Zimmerman "flaunted the system" by failing to disclose how much money he'd raised through donations and that it appeared he was preparing to flee to avoid prosecution for second-degree murder. He referred to Zimmerman with words like "conceal' and "flee" more than a dozen times in an eight-page order that would let him out on bond while he awaits his second-degree murder trial.
O'Mara filed the motion after the July 5 bond hearing during which Lester questioned Zimmerman's honesty and suggested he plotted to leave the country.
Judge Lester is the second judge to be in charge of the Zimmerman case, after a previous judge was disqualified for a potential conflict of interest with attorneys.
Zimmerman is currently staying in an unknown location.
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