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Friday, April 19, 2024 | Back issues
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Trayvon’s Killer Refuses|Immunity Hearing

SANFORD, Fla. (CN) - Trayvon Martin's killer George Zimmerman will not seek a pretrial immunity hearing before his murder trial, he told a judge on Tuesday.

"Is it your decision to not file the pretrial immunity motion?" Seminole Court Judge Debra Nelson asked at the hearing.

"After consultation with my counsel, yes, your honor," Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman shot Martin to death in a Sanford subdivision in February 2012 as the unarmed teen-ager walked home from a store.

Zimmerman, who was a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, claimed self-defense under Florida's so-called stand-your-ground law.

He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

Nelson set aside two weeks for a "stand your ground" pretrial, but Zimmerman's attorney's declined.

The mini-trial would have offered Zimmerman immunity to any criminal proceedings if the judge found he had acted in self-defense.

But now a jury will make the decision. The defense may still argue stand-your-ground immunity after evidence is presented at the trial.

Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, asked the court to unseal the details of the civil settlement Martin's family received from the homeowners association last month. He claimed the settlement could influence the testimony of Martin's family if they are called as witnesses.

Nelson said attorneys may see full copies of the settlement but the public could see only an edited version.

Zimmerman's trial is to begin on June 10.

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