Could Shellie Zimmerman face perjury charges?

theGRIO REPORT - People are talking about it. Facebook pages are popping up calling for it. But could Shellie Zimmerman actually face perjury or contempt of court charges for misleading a Florida court about her husband's finances?...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

One thing Jackson says she is certain of is that, whether or not charges are filed in the aftermath of the Zimmerman’s testimony at the April bond hearing, George Zimmerman’s credibility has taken a hit.

“There is no question that George Zimmerman committed a homicide by shooting and killing Trayvon Martin,” Jackson told theGrio. “The question is whether that shooting was justified. The only evidence supporting justification of this shooting is George Zimmerman’s word. Credibility is all George Zimmerman has to support his affirmative defense of [a] justified shooting. When his credibility became in issue, defending him became an uphill battle for the defense.”

O’Mara seemed to agree, posting the following explanation on the defense team’s GZLegalCase website:

The audio recordings of Mr. Zimmerman’s phone conversations while in jail make it clear that Mr. Zimmerman knew a significant sum had been raised by his original fundraising website. We feel the failure to disclose these funds was caused by fear, mistrust, and confusion. The gravity of this mistake has been distinctly illustrated, and Mr. Zimmerman understands that this mistake has undermined his credibility, which he will have to work to repair.

At the point of the bond hearing, Mr. Zimmerman had been driven from his home and neighborhood, could not go to work, his wife could not go back to a finish her nursing degree, his mother and father had been driven from their home, and he had been thrust into the national spotlight as a racist murderer by factions acting with their own agendas. None of those allegations have been supported by the discovery released to date, yet the hatred continues.

It must be noted that, when attempting to interpret George’s actions regarding the funds, that he did disclose the existence of the funds five days after the bond hearing, during his first conversation with the defense about the fund. When the defense team learned of the funds, we disclosed this to the court and to the State Attorney’s Office, and the money was transferred to the Legal Defense Fund which is now independently managed.

Zimmerman and his wife could have the opportunity to explain themselves to the judge, if and when O’Mara requests a new bond hearing.

State Attorney Angela Corey’s office did not respond to theGrio’s request for comment..

Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport

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