George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch volunteer charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin, unexpectedly took the stand at a bail hearing on Friday and apologised to the teenager's family.
"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of their son. I did not know how old he was – I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. And I did not know if he was armed or not," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman's attorneys were seeking a bond to have him released before trial. He was granted bail of $150,000 by Judge Kenneth Lester, but will not be immediately released.
The terms of the bond include electronic monitoring and GPS, no contact with Martin's family, regular meetings with officers, and no access to firearms.
Speaking at length publicly for the first time since shooting the unarmed 17-year-old in February, Zimmerman said he had asked police and his attorneys to tell Martin's family that he was sorry.
Martin's parents were in the courthouse, face-to-face with their son's killer for the first time.
Zimmerman, soft-spoken and non-confrontational, made a point of letting them hear that he was sorry. On Thursday night, Zimmerman had asked to speak to them, but they rejected that request, according to the family's attorney, Benjamin Crump.
That Zimmerman would testify at a bond hearing and make such a statement is highly unusual, and reflective of the intense national attention the racially polarising case has drawn.
After the hearing, the lawyer for Martin's parents, Benjamin Crump, said: "They are devastated, completely devastated, that after nine days from the killer of their son being arrested, they learned today that he will be released. They have to accept the court's decision. They pray that his freedom is only temporary, because the pain that he has caused this family is going to be permanent.
"Zimmerman makes this self-serving apology in court, 50 days later. The real George Zimmerman website never once said: 'I'm sorry'. Why today?"
Standing outside the court, Crump added: "This family, they were so so torn, so hurt, that they couldn't even bring themselves to come here and stand, after they learned what they learned here in court.
"It has been a tough day."
Martin was armed only with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea when he was killed on February 26, by Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watch patrolman in a gated Florida community. The 28-year-old claims the shot was fired in self-defence. Martin had been staying at his father's girlfriend's home.
Testifying at the hearing on Friday, Zimmerman's mother Gladys said she had concerns for her son's safety. "We have received a lot of threats," she said.
As part of the bond agreement, Zimmerman will be held and monitored at a secret location, possibly out of state.
His father, Robert, testified by phone that his son is an honest man and that he had seen scars on Zimmerman's head following the encounter with Martin.
"His face was swollen quite a bit. He had a protective cover over his nose. His lips were swollen and cut. And there were two vertical gashes on the back of his head," Robert Zimmerman said.
Also testifying by phone, Zimmerman's wife Shelley said she did not believe that her husband would be a threat to the community if he were released. "No concern whatsoever," she said.
Earlier in the hearing, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, challenged lines in the affidavit such as "Zimmerman confronted Martin". State investigator Dale Gilbreath admitted he could have used a different word.
The debate points to potential difficulty in pinning down details of what happened in the moments leading up to the fatal gunshot.
The exchange also led assistant state attorney Bernie de la Rionda to quip: "I'm sorry, I didn't know we were going to be trying the case today."
De la Rionda asked Gilbreath about details of the night in question, running through the dramatic moments leading up to the shooting.
Gilbreath pointed out that a 911 operator had advised Zimmerman not to pursue Martin, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and who Zimmerman claimed was acting suspiciously.
"He was told not to follow him, he continued on for a period of time … I would say less than a minute before he hung up, which is prior to the encounter between the two," Gilbreath said.
When asked by the prosecuting attorney whether there was any evidence that suggests Zimmerman's original statement to police was not true, Gilbreith replied, simply: "Yes."
