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Going Rogue: George Zimmerman Disavows Lawyers, Calls Sean Hannity
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 10, 2012
Modified Apr 10, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 10, 2012
Modified Apr 10, 2012
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At a bizarre press conference that is still ongoing, attorneys for George Zimmerman announced outside the Sanford, Florida courthouse that they are no longer representing Zimmerman. "He's gone on his own. I don't know what he's doing or who he's talking to," attorney Craig Sonner said.
According to Sonner and his partner in the case, Hal Uhrig, Zimmerman created his own website, spoke to FOX News' Sean Hannity, and contacted the special prosecutor's office, all without their knowledge. "We learned that he had called Sean Hannity of FOX News directly and we believe, I cannot confirm this, we believe that he spoke directly with Sean off-the-record," Uhrig said. "[Hannity's] not even willing to tell us what our client told him."
When questioned by the special prosecutor's office as to why he was contacting them without his attorneys, Zimmerman said that he had no attorneys, but "legal advisors." The special prosecutor's office refused to speak to Zimmerman without counsel present.
The two attorneys said they still believed that Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense, and would represent Zimmerman if he "formally" asked them to, But Zimmerman's behavior forced them to drop their client. “I cannot represent a client who doesn’t stay in contact with me," Sonner said.
You can watch the press conference live at CNN or listen to 24 minutes of it here.
CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin seems perplexed at the attorneys' decision to hold a press conference.
Got ethics? Why did these two lawyers feel compelled to make their client Zimmy look like a nut? Why not just depart gracefully?
— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) April 10, 2012
Tagged
fox news
george zimmerman
sandford florida
sean hannity
trayvon martin
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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