Zimmerman trial set for June 10

Neighborhood watch volunteer charged with 2nd-degree murder

By Mallory Simon CNN
POSTED: 7:04 AM Oct 17 2012   UPDATED: 7:32 AM Oct 17 2012
George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin
(CNN) -

George Zimmerman will go on trial June 10 for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, Zimmerman's lawyer said Wednesday.

The neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with second-degree murder. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense in the Feb. 26 shooting, saying Martin charged him after the two exchanged words, knocked him to the ground and banged his head repeatedly against a concrete sidewalk.

Prosecutors say Zimmerman profiled Martin as a criminal and killed him, even though the teenager was doing nothing wrong.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty.

Martin's death sparked nationwide protests and inflamed public passions over race relations and gun control, as well as Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.

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