Judge reluctant to delay in Zimmerman case

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SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — The judge handling the case of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin says it would take extreme circumstances for her to grant a continuance for the self-defense immunity hearing of a former neighborhood watch volunteer charged in Martin’s shooting.

Judge Debra Nelson said Thursday that she would, however, consider rolling George Zimmerman’s immunity hearing under Florida’s “stand your ground” law into the scheduled June trial.

Defense attorney Mark O’Mara will formally get to argue for that during another hearing next week.

For now, Nelson has reserved the final two weeks of April for the immunity hearing. She had also requested an initial jury pool of 500 for June’s second-degree murder trial.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty, saying he acted in self-defense when he shot Martin.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.