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The Orlando Sentinel

Trayvon Martin's mother releases video about Mother's Day without son

Last updated Friday, May 11, 2012 - 4:31pm

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, released a Mother's Day video online Thursday night asking for supporters to voice their opposition to Florida's controversial stand-your-ground law, and others like it.

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The family of Trayvon Martin, from left, father Tracy Martin, mother Sybrina Fulton, and brother Jahvaris Fulton visit Birmingham, Ala. Thursday, May 3, 2012 for a rally at Kelly Ingram Park. (AP Photo/The News, Linda Stelter)

Trayvon Martin's father recalls moments with his son

Jeff Weiner The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 9:41am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tracy Martin drives a truck for a living, but his son preferred something with two wheels.

"Trayvon loved riding on the motorcycle with me," Martin recalls. He had been teaching his son to ride, but while returning home to Miami Gardens, Trayvon asked to test his highway skills for the first time on Florida's Turnpike.

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Attorney Mark O'Mara, right, and associate Lorna Truett appear in court on behalf of their client George Zimmerman during a hearing in his trial on Friday, April 27, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman is accused of second-degree murder for the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Red Huber, Pool)

Profile of Zimmerman's attorney rising

Rene Stutzman The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 10:00am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando attorney Mark O'Mara jumped into the George Zimmerman murder case, agreeing to defend one of the most reviled men in America for free.

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Zimmerman gets new legal-defense fund

Rene Stutzman The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Friday, May 4, 2012 - 3:20pm

SANFORD, Fla. -- A legal-defense fund helped Bill Clinton pay his impeachment-related legal bills. They've been used to help save the whales and protect endangered species.

But they are seldom set up to help a murder suspect who doesn't have enough money to defend himself.

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Sheriff's official suspended for disrupting V.P. Secret Service detail

Henry Pierson Curtis The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Friday, May 4, 2012 - 8:33am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- One of Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings top aides has been disciplined for "conduct unbecoming" stemming from an incident during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Orlando last year.

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Zimmerman told police that Trayvon Martin circled his SUV

Jeff Weiner, Rene Stutzman The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Friday, May 4, 2012 - 9:03am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- George Zimmerman told investigators that while he was on the phone with a Sanford police dispatcher reporting Trayvon Martin as suspicious, the teenager was circling his vehicle on foot, a source familiar with the investigation told the Orlando Sentinel.

The source said Zimmerman's account of events hasn't changed in his several statements to police -- in which he said he was so unnerved by the teenager's behavior that he rolled up his window to avoid a confrontation. However, he never mentioned any of that while talking to the dispatcher.

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Zimmerman's old Myspace page blasts Mexicans

Jeff Weiner The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Thursday, May 3, 2012 - 6:49am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- An old Myspace page belonging to George Zimmerman has surfaced online, and has drawn scrutiny for disparaging remarks about Mexicans and a former lover.

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City at center of Trayvon Martin case hires interim police chief

Stephen Hudak The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Tuesday, May 1, 2012 - 3:45pm

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The former police chief of Colorado Springs, Colo., has been hired as the new interim chief in Sanford, Fla., City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. announced Tuesday.

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George Zimmerman defense team launches new website, social-media accounts

Amy Pavuk The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Monday, April 30, 2012 - 1:47pm

ORLANDO, Fla. -- George Zimmerman's defense attorney has established a new website, Facebook and Twitter accounts to provide details about the high-profile, controversial case.

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Judge Kenneth Lester, Jr. speaks during a hearing in the trial of George Zimmerman on Friday, April 27, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman is accused of second-degree murder for the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Red Huber, Pool)

Judge demands information about $200,000 in Zimmerman accounts

Rene Stutzman The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Friday, April 27, 2012 - 1:39pm

SANFORD, Fla. -- A judge in the George Zimmerman case said Friday that he wants more information about the $200,000 donors sent to the defendant's PayPal accounts.

Meanwhile, an attorney for the family of slain teen Trayvon Martin expressed outrage about Zimmerman's money, saying the court should revoke his bond immediately. That didn't happen at Friday's hearing in Sanford.

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Orlando mom Cindy Metzger, right, dines out at a Chick-Fil-A restaurant, with 6-year-old daughter Ava, April 19, 2012, in Orlando, Florida. Metzger is among the families trending toward not buying kids meals to save on cost. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT)

Kids' meals at restaurants losing popularity

Sandra Pedicini The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Friday, April 27, 2012 - 9:34am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- At lunch at Chick-fil-A recently with her 6-year-old daughter, Ava, Cindy Metzger of Orlando skipped the pint-sized kids' nuggets and ordered a regular chicken sandwich.

"She all of a sudden one day wanted to have the numbered meals," Metzger said, referring to adult fast-food combos on the menu. "As they become older, they become more exposed to what we eat. There's other options on the menu."

Children's meals are declining in popularity, and the trend is the most pronounced in fast-food places. Last year alone, child meals that include toys dropped by 6 percent, according to market-research firm NPD Group, from 1.3 billion to 1.2 billion.

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George Zimmerman's fund-raising website taken down

Rene Stutzman The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 5:06pm

ORLANDO, Fla. -- George Zimmerman's website, used to solicit money for his legal defense, has been taken down.

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George Zimmerman, left, walks out of the intake building at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility with a bondsman on Sunday, April 22, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman posted bail on a $150,000 bond on a second degree murder charge in the February shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin In Sanford, Fla. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

Sanford pastors seek unity over Trayvon Martin case

Jeff Kunerth The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - 2:14pm

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Pastor Derrick Gay delivered the bad news. As the newest member of the Sanford Ministers Fellowship, Gay had been asked to talk with Trayvon Martin's parents about the pastors' desire to hold a community-wide memorial service for their son.

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FILE - In this March 22, 2012 file photo, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee speaks to the the media during a news conference as city manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. listens at left, in Sanford Fla. The Sanford City Commission on Monday, April 23, 2012 rejected by a 3-2 vote the resignation of Lee, who was roundly criticized for not initially charging Zimmerman and had stepped down temporarily in March he said to let emotions cool. (AP Photo/Julie Fletcher, File)

City officials reject resignation of police chief in Martin case

Jeff Weiner, Martin E. Comas, Stephen Hudak The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Tuesday, April 24, 2012 - 9:51am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A decision by the Sanford City Commission on Monday to reject the resignation of embattled Police Chief Bill Lee -- just a month after it voted "no confidence" in him -- left critics of the police department's handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting disappointed and angry.

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Prosecutor in Trayvon Martin case known for toughness

Amy Pavuk The Orlando Sentinel

Last updated Monday, April 23, 2012 - 11:04am

ORLANDO, Fla. -- State Attorney Angela Corey has tried more than 50 homicides. She's known for being tough on crime and an advocate for victims, and she has been credited with filling up her local jail.

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