Color photo shows George Zimmerman night of Trayvon Martin shooting

Former neighborhood watch leader charged with murder

ORLANDO, Fla. – The George Zimmerman defense team on Monday posted a high-resolution, color photo of the former neighborhood watch leader on its website, showing him with a swollen and bloodied nose the night he shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

According to a post on the George Zimmerman Legal Case website, the picture was taken by a Sanford police officer on Feb. 26.

A black-and-white photocopy of the image was previously released by prosecutors.  According to Zimmerman's website, the high-resolution digital file was given to the defense on Oct. 29.

Zimmerman's defense team, led by former Local 6 legal analyst Mark O'Mara, said it will make all public documents related to the murder case available on its website.

Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Martin, who was shot in a gated community in Sanford.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty, claiming the shooting was in self-defense.  He said Martin, who was not armed, was beating him up when he fired his gun.

Zimmerman's murder trial is scheduled to begin in June, although a so-called "stand your ground" hearing, based on Florida law that allows someone to shoot to kill if they feel their life is in danger, will be held earlier.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


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