21 Apr 2012

Bail granted to killer of teenager

1:14 pm on 21 April 2012

A neighbourhood watch volunteer accused of murdering an unarmed black teenager in Florida has been granted bail, set at $150,000.

George Zimmerman's defence lawyer asked on Friday that his client be allowed to reside out of state because of safety fears.

In his second appearance in court since his arrest, Mr Zimmerman told the parents of Trayvon Martin, 17, that he was sorry for the loss of their son. He shot and killed Trayvon on 26 February.

The BBC reports he is accused of second-degree murder.

Granting bail, Judge Kenneth Lester said Mr Zimmerman should inform the police of his location every three days and imposed a curfew between the hours of 7pm - 6am daily.

Benjamin Crump, the Martin family's lawyer, described the apology as self-serving and too late to be genuine. He said the family is totally opposed to bail.