Donald West, one of the lawyers of George Zimmerman, who is being charged with second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin, has filed a petition claiming that prosecution is not submitting the required evidence in a timely fashion. O'Mara is requesting Judge Debra S. Nelson to conduct monthly court hearings to ensure speedy and efficient submissions of evidence.
According to the motion filed by West and reported by the Associated Press, "The state's approach to discovery has been to require the defense to figure out what the state has failed to provide and then ask for it rather than fulfilling the state's legal obligation to provide complete and timely discovery."
The State's Attorney Office has not responded yet.
A preliminary docket hearing scheduled for Oct.10 was postponed to October 17 by Sanford Circuit Judge Nelson. It is during the docket hearing that both parties will stipulate if they are ready for trial.
Judge Nelson has scheduled another hearing for October 19, in which she will decide whether or not to grant Zimmerman's team access to the school records of the 17-year-old teenager.
Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's lawyer had filed a court subpoena a few weeks ago to gain access to Martin's school records. Prosecutor Assistant State Attornie Bernie De la Rionda said that he has no objection to granting access to the teenager's record so as long as it should not be released to the public. However, O'Mara wants the records released to the public.
It is a well-known fact that the Zimmerman case has sparked discourse over race, De la Rionda says that O'Mara wants to take advantage of the media attention through this petition, which he sees as an attempt to just "chum the waters," according to Hispanicbusiness.com.
In July, the Florida judge set Zimmerman's bail for $1 million, after previously revoking a $150,000 bond, for misleading the court about his finances.
He has been released from jail on bond, but under strict conditions including a round the clock GPS monitoring system.
According to Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, the trial is likely to start in a year's time.
Zimmerman was arrested in February for the killing of the 17-year-old, Zimmerman who was armed shot Martin after claiming that he was attacked by the teenager and fired in an act of self-defense. 28-year-old Zimmerman has maintained the claim to self-defense from the beginning of the case.
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