Weeks after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by a Florida jury, the former volunteer neighborhood watch caption is asking the state to pay up to $300,000 to cover his legal fees.
On July 13, Zimmerman was found not guilty in the high-profile trial of Trayvon Martin's murder. The verdict sparked national outrage and protests from activists who claim that Zimmerman unfairly profiled and confronted the black teen who was walking home from a convenience store in a gated community in Sanford back in February 2012. After Zimmerman followed and approached the unarmed 17-year-old, a physical altercation erupted between the two before Zimmerman used his concealed weapon to fatally shoot Martin. Zimmerman was then cleared on all charges by a predominantly white, all female jury.
Now, the 29-year-old Florida native is asking the state to foot his legal bills, a total which his lawyers estimate is between $200,000 and $300,000, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
State law requires that Florida cover all legal expenses for an acquitted defendant, with the exception of lawyer's fees, reports Time magazine. As a result, the state must dish out money for Zimmerman's expert witnesses, travel, depositions, photocopies and the animated 3-D video that defense attorneys showed jurors during closing argument, depicting Trayvon punching Zimmerman.
Taxpayers have already shelled out an estimated $902,000 for the televised second-degree murder trial.
Zimmerman's attorney will hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon to answer questions about his client's desire to have the state of Florida cover his legal expenses after his acquittal.
Before the trial, Zimmerman's attorney warned that his defense funds were so low he might be forced to ask the judge to declare Zimmerman indigent, and thus, require the state to pay his legal bills. However, that never happened.
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