A Florida judge has set a tentative trial date for the case of George Zimmerman, who is accused of shooting Miami teen Trayvon Martin in February. After being charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman will face a jury on June 10, 2013.
The 29-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer has been living in seclusion after being out on bail since August. Defense attorney Mark O’Mara has since been filing motions supporting Zimmerman’s “self defense” claim, the Associated Press reports.
Shortly after the date’s announcement, the defense team tweeted that it would likely request a hearing on the applicability of the statute in this case for April or May. Under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” statute, Zimmerman can request the hearing and argue his self-defense case pre-trial. Should the judge side with Zimmerman, the murder charge would be dropped and there will be no trial. His attorneys are due in court Friday (Oct. 19) that will provide a better timetable for the case moving forward.
Zimmerman’s wife also faces court time. Shellie Zimmerman was charged with perjury for allegedly misleading the court about how much her husband and she had for his bail and will attend a hearing in December.