Zimmerman's lawyers resign from Trayvon Martin shooting case
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Attorneys for a Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin have withdrawn as his counsel, saying they have lost contact with him...
The attorneys for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in February, are off the case.
“As of now we are withdrawing as counsel for Mr. Zimmerman,” Craig Sonner said. “We have lost contact with him. He has gone on his own.”
WATCH ZIMMERMAN’S LAWYERS MAKE THEIR STATEMENT HERE
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Sonner said the last communication he or Hal Uhrig had with Zimmerman was on Sunday. He said Zimmerman was no longer returning the attorneys’ text messages, emails or phone calls, “and therefore we cannot go forward as counsel.”
Sonner said he still believes in Zimmerman’s innocence.
Sonner said that last Thursday, he went with Zimmerman’s father, Robert Zimmerman, Sr., to set up a website and PayPal account so that Zimmerman could solicit donations for his legal and living expenses.
He said that after releasing the website address to the media, they learned that Zimmerman had “gone on his own” and set up his own site, www.therealgeorgezimmerman.com.
The attorneys also learned that Zimmerman had, without their knowledge, reached out to the office of special prosecutor Angela Corey, offering to meet with her, according to Uhrig, who also said the lawyers learned that Zimmerman had communicated directly with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Uhrig said they don’t know the content of that conversation, because Hannity won’t tell them.
Uhrig said they were “a bit astonished” to learn that Zimmerman had talked directly to prosecutors, who they were told informed Zimmerman they could not communicate with him without counsel. Zimmerman apparently told prosecutors “he has no counsel, only legal advisers.”
“It’s his right to choose whatever counsel he wants,” Uhrig said. “If he wants to come back… maybe the pressure of living like a mushroom got to him… But we are not going to put ourselves out as representatives for a client unless that’s clear to us that he wants us.”
“These attorneys continue to make irresponsible statement to the media. Not only have they spoken recklessly about racial issues, enflaming passions and reinforcing stereotypes, but now they have throwN their own client, George Zimmerman, under the bus by eluding to his possible flight from justice, ” said Trayvon Martin family lawyer Natalie Jackson.
Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport
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