MIAMI - George Zimmerman posted bond and walked out of jail Friday, a day after the judge in his second-degree murder case set his new bond at $1 million.
Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said donations to his client’s legal defense fund increased nearly 20-fold since Thursday.
Seminole County Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester announced Thursday that Zimmerman could leave jail pending trial if he posted a $1 million bond. O’Mara said the bond cost Zimmerman $85,000 cash, because he already spent $15,000 on a bondsman fee when he was first released in April.
Zimmerman’s earlier bond, set at $150,000 on April 20, had been revoked because he misled the court about the amount of money he raised online. A legal defense site that normally gets about $1,000 in donations a day received an outpouring of support in the past 24 hours.
"Since the $1,000,000 bond was made public on July 5, supporters have donated approximately $20,000," O’Mara said. "In the two months prior to the Court’s Order Setting Bail, the George Zimmerman Defense Fund had received approximately $55,000."
A temporary safe house has been located where Zimmerman will stay until a more secure location is identified, O’Mara said. Under the terms of his bail, Zimmerman must remain in Seminole County.
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)2012 The Miami Herald
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