Zimmerman lawyer: Client convicted by media

(CBS News) Lawyers for George Zimmerman said their client has been convicted by the media for the shooting of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin, and that no crime was committed under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" statute because the neighborhood watch volunteer acted out of fear for his life.

Appearing on "CBS This Morning," attorney Hal Uhrig said that the fatal shooting of Martin on February 26 has been presented by the media as a "rush to judgment story - I guess that started with Johnnie Cochran and the O.J. Simpson case. It's certainly an example here. This case had momentum created by a lot of misinformation."

Uhrig pointed, as an example, to a picture of Martin that shows him apparently as a "12-year-old boy instead of a 6'3" [17]-year-old varsity football player who got into a confrontation with somebody six inches shorter than him."

Complete Coverage: The Trayvon Martin Shooting

When asked by Charlie Rose what Zimmerman would like to tell the public about the events of that night, Uhrig replied, "The short version of that is that he didn't commit any crime. He was where he was allowed to be, not committing a crime, confronted by someone else who started the violent confrontation physically. He was attacked, broke his nose, hit his head into the ground and he defended himself. That's not against the law."

Uhrig said the Florida "Stand Your Ground" statute applied because Zimmerman feared for his life: "One of the points people have said, the force [used against Martin] was too much, even if he broke his nose and slammed his head into the ground. Many people remember the case of Liam Neeson's wife - fell on a little ski slope, hit her head one time on the ground, and died. We're familiar with the shaken baby syndrome: You shake a baby the brain shakes around inside the skull, you can die.

"When someone is pounding your head on the ground, and you've already had your nose broken, you could be in reasonable fear for great bodily harm - which is what the Florida statute calls for - and if you think you're about to lose your life or be seriously injured like that, you're absolutely entitled to take the necessary action to stop it."

"Are you saying that's what Mr. Zimmerman said - he thought he was in fear of losing his life and so he shot Trayvon Martin?" asked Rose.

"I can confirm that without telling you any specific words, that's exactly what he thought," Urhig replied.

Craig Sonner, another Zimmerman attorney, said law enforcement agrees with Zimmerman's decision to stay in hiding, citing threats against his client. In fact, both lawyers confirmed that they have not met with Zimmerman face-to-face, only speaking by phone, though Uhrig said an in-person meeting would happen "fairly soon."

Uhrig explained that procedurally the State Attorney of Duvall County Angela Corey, who was assigned by Florida's governor to the case, will take her time in her investigation and then decide whether or not to take it to a grand jury.

"If she takes it to a grand jury, then at least 12 members of the grand jury would have to vote for either an indictment or what's called a 'no true' bill, which is to say, 'Wow if you look at all the evidence now instead of just listening to the loudest voice in the crowd, it really was not a crime,'" Uhrig said.

To watch the complete interview with Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner, click on the video player above.