Their lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said Trayvon Martin's family was "completely devastated" by the judge's decision to allow Zimmerman to be released from jail on $150,000 bail, which was considerably lower than the $1 million requested by prosecutors.
Crump also described Zimmerman's apology as "self-serving" and said he considered it a ploy to help win his release. Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's lawyer, said he had asked for Zimmerman to be allowed to deliver an apology privately to the parents, but that request was rebuffed.
At the end of the two-hour hearing, the judge, Kenneth Lester Jr., imposed multiple restrictions on Zimmerman's release. Lester said Zimmerman could have no contact with Martin's family, and his movements will be monitored by an electronic bracelet.
Zimmerman has spent nine days in the Seminole County Jail since his arrest, which came six weeks after he shot and killed Martin, who was unarmed and walking through a small gated development in Sanford. Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self-defense.
The case, which led to protests and marches around the country, raised questions about Florida's expansive self-defense law and racial profiling after Zimmerman was not immediately arrested. Widely criticized for not moving quickly enough on the case, both the Sanford police chief and the local prosecutor stepped aside.
Gov. Rick Scott appointed Angela Corey, a state attorney from the Jacksonville area, as a special prosecutor to manage the case. Corey brought the maximum possible charge against Zimmerman, outlining in court papers that he had profiled Martin based on his race before following him as he walked through the gated development.
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