George Zimmerman Leaves Jail on $1M Bond

UPDATE: George Zimmerman is out of jail. Again. A day after the judge set his new bond at $1 million as he awaits trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin, Zimerman "calmly walked out of the Semnole County Jail," reports the Orlando Sentinel. 

Zimmerman will be staying at a safe house until a more secure location can be located, reports the Miami Herald, citing Zimmerman's lawyer. He is required to stay in Seminole County. The bond cost Zimmerman $100,000, but he only had to put $85,000 cash because he had already paid the $15,000 on a bondsman fee when he was first released in April. He also needed $1 million in collateral, reports the Associated Press.

Friday, July 6 at 1:42 p.m.: George Zimmerman's attorney says that donations to a legal defense fund for the suspect facing a second-degree murder charge has increased almost twenty-fold since his $1 million bond was announced Thursday.

The site that regularly receives $1,000 per day got $20,000 since his new bail was set, writes the Orlando Sentinel. The Miami Herald says Zimmerman needs to pay $85,000 cash to get out of jail on bond. That number doesn't include the $15,000 he already spent on bondsman fees from his first release.

If Zimmerman does post bail, he'll be facing much more strict conditions after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester suggested that the suspect previously had intentions to flee the country. As the Christian Science Monitor reports, Zimmerman has to stay in Seminole County, abide by a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, and be electronically monitored.

Lester was clearly unhappy with Zimmerman and his nine-page order is dripping with "moral indignation," as the Orlando Sentinel notes. "By any definition, the defendant has flouted the system," Lester wrote. "It appears to this court that the defendant is manipulating the system for his own benefit."

Thursday, June 5: Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said George Zimmerman can be released from jail on a $1 million bond while he awaits trial on a second-degree murder charge, reports the Associated Press. The judge called the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin a manipulator, writes the Orlando Sentinel.

It’s not clear when Zimmerman will be released from jail, but his attorney made it clear there is enough money in his legal defense fund to cover the 10 percent nonrefundable portion that most bonding companies charge, notes the Sentinel.

Lester had earlier revoked a $150,000 bond after prosecutors revealed Zimmerman and his wife had misled the court about how much money they had. Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie Zimmerman, has been charged with perjury and is out on a $1,000 bond after she lied under oath regarding the couple’s finances, failing to mention how much they had managed to raise through a legal defense fund.

Zimmerman’s attorney insisted his client didn’t correct his wife because he was scared and confused, reports the Miami Herald.