Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
George Zimmerman Released From Jail On $1 Million Bond
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 6, 2012
Modified Jul 6, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 6, 2012
Modified Jul 6, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
For the second time, George Zimmerman—the man who is charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26—has been released from jail on bond. Zimmerman left jail a day after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted a $1 million bail with strict conditions; he was able to raise bond thanks in part to over $20,000 in donations raised since Thursday. "He is very happy to be out. It's been a very sobering experience spending the last month in jail," Zimmerman attorney Don West told reporters.
In the conditions for his release, the judge banned him from leaving Seminole County without his permission and forbade him to have or open a bank account. The Orlando Sentinel characterizes Lester's tone in his nine-page order as one of moral indignation: "By any definition, the defendant has flouted the system," Lester wrote. "It appears to this court that the defendant is manipulating the system for his own benefit."
Lester was referring to the last time Zimmerman got out of jail: back in April, Zimmerman was released on $150K bond, but the judge revoked it after prosecutors presented evidence that Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had available to pay for the bond. That included not mentioning the $135K+ amount of money Zimmerman's legal defense had made from donations on his website. Prosecutors argued Zimmerman and his wife talked in code during recorded jailhouse conversations—substituting "Peter Pan" for PayPal and "$155" for $155,000— about how to transfer the donations to different bank accounts.
Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, spoke to reporters at a news conference in New Orleans today with the Rev. Al Sharpton. She says that knowing her son's killer "may walk free sometime, one day, it really hurts," according to the AP.
Tagged
bond
death
fatal shooting
florida
george zimmerman
murder
sanford
trayvon martin
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say
The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Ann Givens
Published Oct 10, 2026 at 1:24 p.m. ET
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
News
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
By
Jessica Gould
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
By
Karen Yi
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .