Six weeks after being released from jail on bond, George Zimmerman, who is facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of Trayvon Martin, is back in police custody.
Zimmerman turned himself in to authorities Sunday in Sanford, Fla., according to a blog post from his lawyer, Mark O'Mara. Judge Kenneth Lester revoked his bond two days earlier and gave him 48 hours to surrender to the authorities.
In revoking the bond, Lester found that Zimmerman had misled the court about his finances, with the help of his wife, during his April bond hearing.
At the time, Zimmerman had access to as much as $135,000 from a PayPal account that collected donations through a legal defense website. But Zimmerman's wife testified that she was unaware of how much money had been collected through the site. Because it was believed that Zimmerman had no money, he was released on a low bond of $150,000.
O'Mara said he was unaware of the money at the time of the first hearing and plans to ask for another bond hearing so Zimmerman could explain himself to the judge.
"Judge Lester runs a very tight courtroom, as well he should," O'Mara said after the ruling. "He didn't believe they were being as straightforward and honest as he wanted them to."
The death of Martin, 17, on Feb. 26 created a national stir after police declined to arrest Zimmerman for more than a month, raising questions about racial profiling and Florida's self-defense law.
Zimmerman said the unarmed teenager attacked him and that he was in such fear for his life that he was forced to shoot Martin. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, had a license to carry a concealed weapon.
O'Mara said Zimmerman's safety is still a concern. He has been in hiding since shortly after the shooting.
The Seminole County Sheriff's Office said Zimmerman will be in a cell by himself, separated from the general population, because the case is so high profile.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article appeared on page A - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
