Looks like George Zimmerman might be kind of worried about his fate in the hands of Judge Lester’s hands. He said that the judge has made rude comments about him and he doesn’t think he will receive a fair trial. Find out the details after the jump.
Saying the judge had made disparaging remarks about their client’s character, George Zimmerman’s legal team asked Friday for Kenneth R. Lester Jr. to step down from the case.
Zimmerman’s attorneys filed a motion in circuit court saying Zimmerman cannot get a fair trial because Lester used “gratuitous, disparaging” language in a bail order last week. Friday’s filing also says Lester has advocated for Zimmerman to be prosecuted for additional crimes, offered personal opinion about evidence and has threatened their client with contempt charges.
“Mr. Zimmerman has lost faith in the objectivity of this court and has a reasonable, well-founded fear that he will not receive a fair trial by this court,” the document said.
Zimmerman’s attorneys particularly took issue with two of the judge’s comments: “Under any definition, the defendant has flouted the system,” citing the definition of flout, and “The defendant has tried to manipulate the system when he has been presented the opportunity to do so.”
In response, the state attorney’s office said the state objects to Zimmerman trying to disqualify Lester and it will file a response to the motion early next week.
Zimmerman, 28, was released from jail a week ago, one day after Lester set bail at $1 million.
Zimmerman had to post 10% of the $1 million — or $100,000 — to meet the requirement for release.
An initial bond of $150,000 was revoked last month after Lester learned that Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie, had failed to disclose more than $150,000 in donations from the public.
For nearly a month, Zimmerman stayed at the home of a friend, a federal air marshal, to stay out of the public eye, his lawyer Mark O’Mara told CNN.
Read More @Source
