George Zimmerman is standing his ground — and he wants Florida taxpayers to reimburse him for a large chunk of his legal expenses.
The neighborhood watch volunteer who was acquitted of second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin is asking the Sunshine State to cover $200,000 to $300,000 for the cost of expert witnesses, travel, depositions and photocopies, the Orlando Sentinel reported Monday.
That tab also includes the cost of a video the defense used during closing arguments that shows the unarmed black teenager punching Zimmerman.
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara told the paper that a motion is “in the works” to ask a judge to approve the payments.
Because the 29-year-old watchman was found not guilty during a five-week trial last month, state law requires Florida to pay all of his legal fees — except for the price tag of his lawyer.
That comes on top of the roughly $900,000 that public agencies already spent on Zimmerman’s behalf during the much-hyped court case, which prompted demonstrations all over the country.
