Grand Jury Cancellation Leaves Zimmerman Case in Limbo

SANFORD, Fla. — Now that the grand jury that was scheduled to convene
Tuesday in the Trayvon Martin case has been canceled, many are
wondering when a decision will be made.

The special prosecutor assigned to oversee the investigation, Angela
Corey, announced Monday that she would not present the controversial
shooting case to a grand jury.

A grand jury had been scheduled to convene on April 10 in the case
before Corey waved it off saying “the decision should not be considered a
factor in the final determination of the case.”

But some legal experts say Corey’s announcement could signal an
imminent decision for George Zimmerman, the man accused shooting an
unarmed Florida teenager.

“I would anticipate she will move quickly on this,” said Paul Callan,
a former New York homicide prosecutor. “I think you’ll see her come
down with charges probably very, very soon.”

Zimmerman’s attorney, Hal Uhrig, told CNN that he was “not surprised” that Corey wouldn’t present a case to a grand jury.

“Don’t know what her decision will be. Courageous move on her part,”
he wrote in a text message to CNN’s Martin Savidge Monday. Uhrig said he
and Zimmerman legal adviser Craig Sonner plan to meet with Zimmerman
for the first time “probably later this week.”

Martin’s death has triggered a nationwide debate about race in
America and Florida’s “stand your ground” law, which allows people to
use deadly force anywhere they feel a reasonable threat of death or
serious injury.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, told Sanford, Florida,
police the February shooting was an act of self-defense. Zimmerman has
not been charged with a crime in Martin’s death, a fact that has
provoked demonstrations and calls that he be prosecuted for killing.

Zimmerman recently launched a website, warning supporters about
groups that falsely claim to be raising funds for his defense and
soliciting donations for himself.

“I am the real George Zimmerman,” declares the website, set up over the weekend.

“On Sunday February 26th, I was involved in a life altering event
which led me to become the subject of intense media coverage. As a
result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced
to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my
entire life. This website’s sole purpose is to ensure my supporters they
are receiving my full attention without any intermediaries.”

The statement posted on therealgeorgezimmerman.com warns viewers that
“some persons and/or entities have been collecting funds, thinly veiled
as my ‘Defense Fund’ or ‘Legal Fund.’ I cannot attest to the validity
of these other websites as I have not received any funds collected,
intended to support my family and I through this trying, tragic time.”

But the site includes a link through which viewers can donate money
to pay for Zimmerman’s lawyers and living expenses “in lieu of my forced
inability to maintain employment.” Zimmerman pledges to “personally
maintain accountability of all funds received.”

“I am grateful to my friends that have come to my aid, whether
publicly or personally, never questioning my integrity or actions,
understanding that I cannot discuss the details of the event on February
26th, and allowing law enforcement to proceed with their investigation
unhindered,” the 28-year-old Zimmerman wrote on another of the site’s
pages. “Once again, I thank you for your patience and I assure you, the
facts will come to light.”

Until now, only friends and relatives have come forward to speak on
Zimmerman’s behalf. His attorneys have said he wants to share his story
but can’t, because of threats to his safety and the possibility of
criminal charges.

Zimmerman’s lawyers and a friend confirmed the authenticity of the
website. The friend, Frank Taaffe, told CNN sister network HLN that
while the site is being used to raise funds for a legal defense, it
doesn’t mean Zimmerman expects to be charged in connection with Martin’s
death.

“That has nothing to do with it,” Taaffe told HLN’s “Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell.”

But Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for Martin’s family — which also has a
site raising funds to support their efforts — said it’s unfair that
Zimmerman is still free to express his views and solicit money.

“If the situation was reversed, Trayvon Martin would have been
arrested day one, hour one,” Benjamin Crump told CNN’s “Anderson Cooper
360″ on Monday night. “We believe Zimmerman should have been arrested
and put into jail. This situation with this website is a luxury that
Trayvon Martin doesn’t have and never would have had.”

Sanford police questioned Zimmerman and released him without charges.
Authorities have said Zimmerman was not immediately charged because
there were no grounds, at the outset, to disprove his account that he’d
acted to protect himself. But thousands have converged on Sanford to
join in protests calling for Zimmerman’s arrest and criticizing the
police department’s handling of the case.

On Monday, a group of students calling themselves the Dream Defenders
marched to the Sanford police station. Six of the demonstrators wore
hooded sweatshirts, as Martin did the night he was shot, as they blocked
the department’s main entrance; others linked arms, sang and chanted as
they stood facing the building.

The demonstration closed the Police Department headquarters briefly,
and City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. and Acting Police Chief Darren
Scott met with leaders of the student group and community leaders.

Although details of the February 26 incident remain murky, what is
known is that Martin, who was African-American, ventured out from his
father’s fiancee’s home in Sanford to get a snack at a nearby
convenience store. As he walked home with a bag of Skittles and an
Arizona iced tea, he was shot and killed by Zimmerman, who is Hispanic,
and who had called 911 to complain about a suspicious person in the
neighborhood.

– CNN’s Terry Frieden, George Howell, Vivian Kuo, Eric Fiegel and Ashleigh Banfield contributed to this report.