SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — WFTV was at the scene when George Zimmerman arrived at the Seminole County Jail and was booked on a charge of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
Zimmerman, who shot and killed the 17-year-old on Feb. 26 in a gated Sanford community, claimed he killed Martin in self-defense.
State Attorney Angela Corey announced during a Wednesday news conference that Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder and was taken into custody. Corey said Zimmerman turned himself in, and he will be held without bond.
"That's all we know is justice for our victims," Corey said.
Corey said Zimmerman will be in court to face a judge within 24 hours. She said authorities did not come to the decision lightly, nor was it based on public pressure.
Corey said probable cause had to be determined before authorities could arrest Zimmerman. She said there was only a slight delay when she took it over from the previous prosecutor, who recused himself from the case.
Zimmerman's former attorneys said on Tuesday they were withdrawing from the case, because they haven't heard from him since Sunday. Zimmerman is now being represented by attorney Mark M. O'Mara.
O'Mara said during a 7 p.m. news conference that Zimmerman will plead not guilty. The attorney also asked that people not jump to conclusions about his client's guilt. He said he's "hoping that the community will calm down" now that charges have been filed and the case is moving forward.
The lack of an arrest had led to protests across the nation and spurred a debate about race and the laws of self-defense.
Zimmerman told police that Martin confronted him, punched him in the nose and bashed his head into the ground. However, surveillance video released by Sanford police shows Zimmerman appeared to have no significant head injuries as he was taken in for questioning the night of the incident.
Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, said she knows "justice will be served" in her son's death.
Second-degree murder is typically charged when there is a fight or other confrontation that results in death and where there is no premeditated plan to kill someone. It carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
WFTV
