George Zimmerman, facing murder charges for gunning down Trayvon Martin, is fearful he could be killed in jail his attorney said Monday, newyorkpost.com reports.
“There has been an upwelling of hostility and animosity towards him that can find its way to you in many different ways,” said Mark O’Mara outside the courthouse in Sanford.
O’Mara added that Zimmerman is concerned as he is exposed to many people in jail he doesn’t even know.
Earlier today, O’Mara filed a motion to have Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler taken off the case because of a potential conflict of interest. Recksiedler’s husband is an attorney in the law offices of Mark NeJame, a high profile Orlando-based attorney who was initially approached by Zimmerman for representation, according to news reports.
O’Mara told reporters he doesn’t believe there would be a problem with getting Recksiedler replaced. He also said he is still hopeful this could be done in time for a bond hearing on Friday.
Asked how his client was doing, O’Mara said Zimmerman is “still stressed and that he wants to move forward and get the case to trial.”
Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer, faces second degree murder charges in the shooting death of Martin, an unarmed black teen. He has claimed self-defense and is in the Seminole County Jail, awaiting trial.
