George Zimmerman has been released from a Florida jail at midnight this morning after posting $150,000 bond. Charged with second-degree murder, he will now be living in a secret location as he awaits trial for the death of Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman exited the John E. Polk Correctional Facility (JEPCF) at the Seminole County Sheriff's Office fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
The GPS device, which can pinpoint an offender's whereabouts at any given time, will be monitored by the SCSO and Seminole County Probation.
Reports indicate that he may be allowed to leave the state, which is unusual in a murder case, but is arguably necessary for his own security.
At his bond hearing on Friday morning, Judge Kenneth Lester agreed to allow George Zimmerman to post a $150,000 bond and leave jail pending trial.
The prosecution had argued that Zimmerman should be denied bail or that it should be set at $1 million, but Lester disagreed on both accounts.
Bail is rarely denied altogether unless the defendant is considered dangerous or a flight risk, which he is not (especially with the ankle monitor).
Zimmerman also stunned the court Friday by taking the stand and apologizing to Trayvon Martin's family, who were sitting in the courtroom.
"I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am," the 28-year-old said.
"I did not know if he was armed or not."
Zimmerman told police the night he shot and killed Trayvon Martin that he was acting in self-defense after Martin punched him and pounced on him.
Zimmerman told police that Martin then bashed his head into the concrete sidewalk during the altercation that took place in Sanford, Fla.
A bloody photo of George Zimmerman's head taken right after the attack surfaced last week, perhaps bolstering his self-defense claim.
Still, his actions that night remain questionable enough for the D.A. to bring second-degree murder charges in the death of Martin, 17.
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