George Zimmerman apologized to the family of the black Florida teenager he shot dead in a surprise witness stand appearance on Friday and moments later a judge agreed he could be released on $150,000 (93,005.95 pounds) bail in the racially charged case that has captivated the United States.
“I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son,” Zimmerman told the parents of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, who were in the Sanford, Florida, court.
“I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. And I did not know if he was armed or not,” said Zimmerman, 28, the son of a white father and a Peruvian mother.
Moments later, Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. set bail of $150,000. Zimmerman’s defence lawyer had requested bail of no more than $15,000 and prosecutors, who had opposed his release, suggested bail of $1 million.
The judge set a number of conditions including electronic monitoring that he said would prevent Zimmerman from being released on Friday.
Earlier in the hearing, Zimmerman’s wife and father told the court Zimmerman was a non-violent person and they would help ensure he does not flee should he be released on bail for a second-degree murder charge in Martin’s death.
“I’ve never known him to be violent at all, unless he was provoked, and then he would turn the other cheek,” father Robert Zimmerman testified under defence questioning.
Zimmerman’s lawyer Mark O’Mara was attempting to get his client released on bail in the case that has prompted civil rights demonstrations around the country.
Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed Martin, 17, in what he said was self-defence following a confrontation in a gated community in the central Florida city of Sanford on February 26.
Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows people to use deadly force when they believe they are in danger of getting killed or suffering great bodily harm.
REUTERS