http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/06/ijvm.01.htmlJANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
George Zimmerman Released on Bail; HIV Positive Sex Offender Attacks Boy?; Tom Versus Katie: Dirty Divorce?; The Sounds of Sustainability
Aired July 6, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM MORET, HOST: Here`s what`s happening right now.
George Zimmerman is out of jail. What will be his next move?
I`m Jim Moret from "INSIDE EDITION," sitting in for my friend, Jane Velez-Mitchell.
Why was Trayvon Martin`s killer allowed to go free? And is he now strapped for cash? We`ll be breaking it all down, coming up next.
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Will George Zimmerman soon be a free man again? After days of deliberating, a Florida judge allows the former Neighborhood Watch captain, accused of gunning down Trayvon Martin, to be released on bond. But this time it comes at a hefty price. Did the judge make the right choice? And will Zimmerman be able to afford the $1 million price tag?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Zimmerman could be released from jail as soon as today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: George Zimmerman is scrambling to come up with enough money to make his million-dollar bond.
BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN`S FAMILY: The judge sent a very strong message in his order.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened here on April 20? And why did that happen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin.
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SHOOTING SUSPECT: He said, "Yo, you got a problem?"
And I turned around and I said, "No, I don`t have a problem, man."
SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: This is not about a black and white thing. This is about a right and wrong thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somehow Mr. Martin, because he was wearing a hoody, is a criminal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve heard that Trayvon Martin was just minding his own business. And there doesn`t seem to be anything to contest that.
MARK O`MARA, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: It`s not the grand conspiracy that the state seems to suggest.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had lacerations on the back of his head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So his head was banged into something harder than his head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MORET: George Zimmerman posts bail and gets out of jail. And his victory comes with a cost.
Hi, everyone.
Here he is leaving jail just a short time ago. Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. But he was sent back to the slammer after the court found he lied about his finances. And now a Florida judge has granted him bail.
But that freedom doesn`t come cheap. His bail? A cool $1 million. But here`s the thing: he went to a bail bondsman who posted bail but only took 10 percent. That means Zimmerman`s legal team only needed $100,000 cash. But because they already paid $15,000, they really only needed 85 grand more.
We know Zimmerman was flush with cash. Listen to what prosecution`s attorneys revealed in the hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a transfer of -- into the account of George Zimmerman of like $5,880 and then also that day $9,900, $9,900, $9,900, $9,900, $9,900, $9,900, $9,900, and I believe one final $9,900.
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MORET: The judge was pretty harsh in his ruling, saying the defendant has tried to manipulate the system and that the money only had to be hidden for a short time before he would leave the country. But he still granted bail.
Joining me is HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks with the very latest.
Mike, what do you have?
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I tell you, Jim, it looks right around 2:50 this afternoon George Zimmerman walked out of the Seminole County Jail.
Now, we saw a white SUV pull up. It was right in the handicap parking right outside the door. And then the door opened up. And out walked a guy in a blue shirt and a guy in a black shirt. And right between them was George Zimmerman.
Now, supposedly, Jim, they are going to be taking him to what they`re calling a safe house. But we know that it has to be somewhere there in Seminole County, because that`s one of the conditions of his release. He cannot leave Seminole County. And he also has to check in with pretrial services every 48 hours.
But, Jim, people are talking about where`s all this money coming from? Just in the last 24 hours, Jim, he has raised $20,000. I think that is unbelievable.
MORET: Mike, are they concerned about possible death threats continuing with Zimmerman?
BROOKS: Well, that`s why they`re going to take him to this safe house, because we have seen, you know, demonstrations. And the country is basically divided into two camps: those that think George Zimmerman gunned down Trayvon Martin in cold blood; and those that think that he was standing his ground and this is a case of self-defense.
So, yes, I would say that George Zimmerman, you know, is probably -- is in fear of his life. And that`s the reason they`re going to be taking him to a safe house where no one knows where he`s going to be. But it has to be in Seminole County.
MORET: Joey Jackson, criminal defense attorney, joining us from New York. How important was it for Zimmerman`s attorneys to get him out of custody from the standpoint of putting this case together?
JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, it`s important. I mean, you could certainly go and you can meet with your client in any facility, you know, that they`re in, but it`s important for a couple of reasons.
No. 1, obviously, he`s out. It allows the attorneys an opportunity to meet with him in private at times of their own choosing. Logistical concerns, they`re not as heightened or there`s not that concern, because you can meet with your client whenever you`d like to.
And then, of course, you know, no one likes to be in jail. Right? I mean, obviously everybody wants their freedom.
As to whether he`ll remain free, I mean, we`ll see. Because obviously, there will be this immunity hearing at -- in the event that the attorney chooses to have one after that bail, you know, decision the judge made.
But, you know, I think moving forward, certainly, I think his camp is pleased with the fact that he`s out. And at $1 million it certainly came at a price, though, as you said, Jim.
MORET: And for those of you who are confused, we want to go over what Zimmerman did to get his bail taken away in the first place. He spoke with his wife in code to hide how much money they`d raised. Listen to this.
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G. ZIMMERMAN: If the bond is 50, 15, if it`s more than 50, just pay 10 percent to a bondsman.
SHELLIE ZIMMERMAN, WIFE: You don`t want me to pay $100?
G. ZIMMERMAN: I don`t know.
S. ZIMMERMAN: All right. Well, just think about it.
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MORET: And Mike Brooks alluded to this. Look at the restrictions placed upon Zimmerman.
He has to report to officials every two days. He can`t have a bank account. He has a 6 p.m. curfew every night. He can`t have a passport. He cannot go to the airport. He will still have an electronic monitor.
Judge Mary Ann Gunn, who hosts "Last Shot with Judge Gunn," joins us by Skype.
Judge, we saw in this case the judge was very upset with what the judge called a manipulation of the system. Are you surprised, first of all, that bail was granted?
And secondly, how much does it hurt in the case as it proceeds for the credibility of this defendant?
JUDGE MARY ANN GUNN, HOST, "LAST SHOT WITH JUDGE GUNN": Well, obviously, you don`t lie to the court. That`s the first rule of business. And everybody knew, once the judge revoked the bond, that it was going to be a much higher bond.
He`s charged with second degree. So he`s entitled to a bond. The question becomes whether or not he`s a flight risk.
He`s scared to death for his life. And he appears to be secreting himself every chance that he gets. And the reality is he`s not -- he`s not on the hook for the million-dollar bond. His bondman is now. And the court will go to the bondsman if he runs.
Zimmerman has raised his $100,000 and paid 10 percent on the bond. I`m surprised that the bondsman didn`t get additional collateral for him, because if he runs, they`ll pay it to the court.
MORET: Mark Nejame, criminal defense attorney, HLN legal analyst.
Look, I agree with the judge. You don`t lie to the court. And here you`ve got a defendant whose word is going to be on the line here with these jurors. And they`re going to know he lied. Doesn`t this hurt from the defense standpoint?
MARK NEJAME, HLN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I couldn`t agree more that, you know, rule No. 1 is you never misrepresent yourself to the court. You always have respect for the court. And the court was clearly deceived.
So all the judge did I completely concur with. But I think that the credibility of Zimmerman will only be heard by the judge in a presumed stand-your-ground hearing that`s going to be coming up. Because at that point the judge is the trier of the fact. He`s also the trier of the law. And he`s already got grave and great credibility issues with Zimmerman.
So I think that Zimmerman`s chances are greatly reduced of prevailing as a result of these credibility issues with the future stand-your-ground hearing.
However, presuming that he loses that and he goes to trial and he claims self-defense, none of these issues will be brought before the court -- excuse me, before the jury. So they will not hear all those things that we now know, because they`re just going to be hearing the facts of the case.
So in the court of public opinion, of course it damages him tremendously. However, in the stand-your-ground hearing, because only Judge Russell will hear it, I think it will hurt him. But when it ultimately comes down to the trial, I don`t think it will make a difference.
MORET: Judge Gunn, we have about 10 or 15 seconds before we go to a break. Do you think this is going to hurt if this goes forward to trial? Is this -- the fact that he lied to the judge -- going to hurt him as the case continues?
GUNN: It will hurt his credibility with the judge. But it will -- the jury should -- probably will not hear about it unless he takes the stand. If he takes the stand and says, "I don`t lie," then I think it could come before the jury and would be relevant.
But chances are his defense attorneys will be very careful about that.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had blood on his face and the back of his head. And that was about -- about all I remember as far as his injuries. I think he had a cut on his nose, as well. A good 45 percent of his head and face were covered in blood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORET: Welcome back. I`m Jim Moret from "Inside Edition," sitting in for Jane.
Trayvon Martin`s family is not happy with Zimmerman going free, but they`re not standing in his way. They are standing strong. Listen to this.
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FULTON: Trayvon was my baby. And I usually get emotional just thinking about the situation that has happened. And just to know that the killer of my son may walk free some time one day, it really hurts.
TRACY MARTIN, FATHER OF TRAYVON: As a father, it`s difficult as we sit through these proceedings. You feel powerless when you hear things said about your child that, you know, is not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORET: Family attorney says they are not going to fight the ruling that allowed Zimmerman to go free.
Holly Hughes, what options does the family have? They can clearly file a civil lawsuit as this proceeds, but at this point, are they going to take a wait-and-see attitude? And just let the criminal justice system work its way?
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think they are. Because technically speaking, although they are the agreed party here in the criminal process, they are the surviving victims. You know, Trayvon himself was a victim. Parents are a victim.
But they have no say. Once a case is filed, it`s the prosecutor`s decision. So they don`t -- you know, they can say, "We don`t want him to have bond," but legally speaking, they don`t have a dog in the fight.
So their option here is to let the criminal case play out. Hopefully, they will see the justice that they`re seeking done. And after that, they have the remedy of filing a civil suit.
And if people continue to donate money to George Zimmerman and that money is not exhausted, that`s George Zimmerman`s money. So that`s something they can go after. Even though money won`t bring back their son and it won`t make them whole, they can certainly seek damages. And those damages may ultimately be paid out of the money that people are sending in, if that fund is still up and running at the time of the civil suit.
MORET: Joey Jackson, criminal defense attorney from New York. Look, a lot of people are upset with this case anyway. They feel like Zimmerman got away with murder. And clearly, that`s to be decided by the court.
But we do know that Zimmerman lied. And a lot of people think, look, here he`s getting away with that, because he`s out. From a PR standpoint - - and I know you do worry about public opinion as well as the court, what do you do to rehabilitate this guy if you`re a defense attorney?
JACKSON: You know, it has a lot to do with whether he acts responsibly from here on in. Obviously, his attorneys are going to brief him. And it starts with the basics, Jim. What does that mean? It means comply with every bail condition. Whether it`s not to have alcohol, whether it`s not to miss your curfew by one second, whether it`s certainly, he shouldn`t be applying for passports and doing the obvious things. But a lot has to do with how he comports himself.
And we better not hear any -- anything of a negative variety in terms of what he`s done, certainly no statements, no interviews, any of that. But in terms of rehabilitating reputation, it`s very difficult.
And I think in the court of law when he comes and he does testify -- and he essentially almost has to, right? Because this is the type of thing where it`s going to be his word against what happens, yes, there`s a lot of independent evidence that`s here, but it`s going to be him on the line.
And you can rest assured, Jim, that the prosecutors are going to be giving him a withering cross-examination when the time comes. But it should be a very interesting thing to watch in the very near future.
MORET: Is this a nightmare case from a defense standpoint? Because you`re behind the 8-ball, right? Right from the get-go.
JACKSON: You know, absolutely. It`s very difficult. But at the same time there are things the defense is going to do. I mean, they`re going to be plotting their strategy.
And the first thing they have to consider, though, Jim, is whether or not they`re going to have this immunity hearing. If you read the decision, the judge was -- I mean, he vilified essentially George Zimmerman, talking about how he was manipulative, flaunted the system. And this will be the same judge who has to evaluate his credibility in an immunity hearing.
And then if George Zimmerman testifies there, the extent to what that`s going to be used against him at trial is going to be enormous.
So the defense has a lot of decisions to make, starting with whether they have such a hearing or waive it and just allow a jury to make the ultimate decision.
There`s certainly things the defense has to work with here, but the prosecution is certainly going to be on their a-game and moving forward.
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