George Zimmerman Out of Jail on $1 Million Bond

Looks like 1 Mil didn't stop him from being released from jail. My goodness, where do these people even find that much money? Until the trial comes out, I'm still debatable about the whole thing. I say it's contributory from both sides and neither one of them are innocent. Guess will see when the trial comes out. But, I really don't think he'll even get a fair trial.

news.yahoo.com...

ABC NewsBy CANDACE SMITH and COLLEEN CURRY | ABC News – 3 hrs ago

George Zimmerman walked out of jail on $1 million bond today to await his trial on charges of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Dressed in a gray suit covering a bullet-proof vest, Zimmerman walked out of Seminole County Correctional Facility just before 3 p.m., flanked by a body guard and an unknown man.

He made no comment to reporters as he climbed into a waiting SUV.

Zimmerman, who is accused of second degree murder in the shooting death of the unarmed teen, used money donated by supporters to pay a portion of the bond.

reply to post by Manhater


His credibility is shot...we all know that...........he should of just took the donations and the extra passport and fled...what a dumb ass idiot.I don't know,hows sis doin

It says right in the article, supporters contributed money. He only has to come up with 10-30% of the bond so the real cash out of hand via a bondsman is 100k - 300k. Donations probably covered most of that and given he could have used his house or other high value property to secure the bond a million dollar bond really isn't all that difficult to post.

Now if you're some crack dealer with no property and only a few thousand in cash, there's no way you're going to be able to post that kind of bond or get a decent attorney.

This is why the US justice system is "blind to race, creed, etc but not to wealth". There's one form of justice for those who can afford it and another for everyone else.

Huge waste of time and money regardless, Zimmerman is going to beat the charges easily. Even a half retarded attorney could win this case.

Okay for the bonds and all, where does all that money go anyway? That's a whole lot of money.

Originally posted by Manhater
Okay for the bonds and all, where does all that money go anyway? That's a whole lot of money.

It depends on the bondsman and the court. Bondsman have to have an insurance policy for a certain amount in every State, usually in the form of a "bond" which is an actual deposit of money into a state held account.

When someone "posts a bond" they normally pay 10% in cash the value of the bond, sign a form of lien on property worth as much or a combination of both. The bondsman normally doesn't have to pay the court anything (other than some fees), they just sign a promissory note that says if you fail to show up to court they have to pay the face value of the bond to the court. They, in exchange get to keep that 10% you paid them and will set conditions on your bond such as reporting in via phone or in person, not getting additional charges, no interaction with police (not even a traffic ticket), staying away from known criminals, etc.

If you fail to show up in court the bondsman is served with a notice that gives them a specific amount of time to deliver you to the local jail to be held over for court. That time varies from court to court but I believe most will give them 30-90 days which they can keep extending for up to 6 months to 1 year or more in some cases. These are the people you see Dog the Bounty Hunter chasing around. If he doesn't arrest and deliver them he has to pay the surrender value of the bond (anything from that 10% to 100% depending on the court and the type of charges).

The short answer? A little bit of that money goes to the court system in fees paid by you via the bondsman and the rest goes to the bondsman. If they manage their risks well and can round up the occasional fugitive they can make a great deal of money over time. It's an inflation and recession proof business, in fact the worse the economy is the busier the criminal justice system gets.

If you skip a bondsman and just pay cash you have to pay the court the full value of the bond which is held. After your case goes to court they will subtract your court fees and any judgements against you from it and refund what's left. If you're found innocent you get it all back (minus any fees they might charge you for "charging you").