(Adds details, background)
WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) – George Zimmerman, charged
with second-degree murder in the killing of unarmed black
teenager Trayvon Martin, left a Florida jail early on Monday
after posting bail of $150,000 in the racially charged case, a
spokeswoman for the sheriff in Seminole County, Florida, said.
Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, was
released from the county’s John E. Polk Correctional Facility
shortly after midnight Monday after posting bail and meeting
other conditions set for his release at a pretrial detention
hearing on Friday.
Under the conditions set by Judge Kenneth Lester Jr.,
Zimmerman must wear an electronic monitoring device, although he
may be allowed to leave the state. He must also observe a
dusk-to-dawn curfew and is prohibited from consuming illegal
drugs or alcohol or possessing a firearm.
No date has been set for Zimmerman’s trial but, due to
safety concerns, his whereabouts are expected to remain a
closely guarded secret until his next appearance in court.
Zimmerman shot and killed Martin is a gated community in
Sanford in central Florida on Feb. 26 in an incident that
triggered civil rights protests nationwide and fired a national
debate over guns, self-defense laws and race in America.
Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, has said he shot the
17-year-old Martin in self-defense following a confrontation
that occurred as Martin was returning to his father’s house in
the community after buying candy from a convenience store.
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.
The lack of an arrest led thousands to march in protest
rallies in Sanford and across the country. The public outrage
forced the Sanford police chief and regularly assigned
prosecutor to step aside.
At the Friday hearing, Zimmerman apologized to Martin’s
family, stunning a rapt courtroom after he appeared in a suit
and tie and with shackles around his waist and wrists.
Governor Rick Scott appointed Angela Corey as special
prosecutor. She charged Zimmerman on April 11.
(Reporting by Greg McCune and Tom Brown; Editing by Philip
Barbara)
