George Zimmerman Appears in Court

George Zimmerman, the Florida neighbourhood watchman accused of the death of

unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, has appeared in court. During the brief hearing, the 29th of May was set for a formal reading of the charges and a bail hearing.

Mr Zimmerman, 28, who turned himself in on Wednesday to face a charge of second-degree murder, stood up straight and serious, wearing a grey prison jumpsuit. The 26th of February killing of the 17-year-old has divided the US. Mr Zimmerman has spent his first night in jail 45 days after shooting the teenager in a quiet gated community in the Orlando suburb of Sanford.

Mr Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, did not seek bail for his client during the brief hearing, as expected. He told reporters outside the court afterwards he had decided not to ask for a bond because "it might only arouse the fervour" around the case. The attorney said earlier that his client would plead not guilty.

If convicted, he could face life in prison.  Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, told NBC's Today show that she did not think Mr Zimmerman had intended to kill her son. "I believe it was an accident," she said on Thursday. "I believe that it just got out of control and he couldn't turn the clock back," she said, joined by Trayvon's father and their lawyer Benjamin Crump. When asked what she would say to Mr Zimmerman if she could meet him face to face, Ms Fulton said she understood his family was hurting but that losing a teenage son was "very difficult to live with day in and day out".
"I'm sure his parents can pick up the phone and call him," she said, "but we can't pick up the phone and call Trayvon Martin anymore."
In a later interview with the Associated Press, Ms Fulton said she meant the meeting between her son and Mr Zimmerman was the accident. "That was the accident," she said. "Not the actual act of him shooting him. That was murder... They were never supposed to meet."

Legal experts say that prosecutors must prove the shooting was rooted in hatred or ill will, while the defence, to prevent the case from even going to trial, have to prove by a relatively lower legal standard that its client acted in self-defence. Mr Zimmerman's attorney said: "He is concerned about getting a fair trial and a fair presentation. He is a client who has a lot of hatred focused on him."

The neighbourhood watchman told police he opened fire after the teenager attacked him, breaking his nose and banging his head against the pavement. But those who were pressing for Mr Zimmerman's arrest suggested the teenager was shot because of his race.  Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey announced on Wednesday that charges would be pressed, telling reporters: "We did not come to this decision lightly. Let me emphasize that we do not prosecute by public pressure or petition."

The move followed a nationwide campaign of demonstrations demanding Mr Zimmerman's arrest, led by the dead teenager's parents and prominent civil rights activists. The debate went all the way to the White House when President Barack Obama said last month: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."

The case highlights Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law, which grants individuals leeway to use deadly force if they feel seriously under threat. Trayvon Martin was walking home from a local shop carrying a bag of sweets and a can of iced tea when he was approached by Mr Zimmerman.
The neighbourhood watch volunteer had told a police dispatcher he thought Martin, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, looked suspicious. According to 911 emergency calls released afterwards, the dispatcher advised Mr Zimmerman not to go after the young man. But minutes later a confrontation ensued, leading to the fatal shooting.

The case has raised tensions around Sanford, where bullets were fired into an unoccupied police car on Tuesday not far from where the teenager died.

Key dates in the Martin case

• 26 February: Trayvon Martin is fatally shot and police do not arrest the shooter, George Zimmerman
• 16 March: Recordings of 911 calls made before the shooting are released to Martin's parents, they demand for Mr Zimmerman's arrest
• 22 March: Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee "temporarily" steps down and Seminole County State Attorney Norman Wolfinger stands aside from the investigation amid mounting calls for the prosecution of Mr Zimmerman
• 23 March:  President Obama identifies with the Martin family and says if he had a son he would have looked like Trayvon Martin
• 10 April: Mr Zimmerman's lawyers withdraw as his counsel and say they lost contact with him two days earlier
• 11 April: George Zimmerman taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder