At a news conference on Tuesday, attorneys for the neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, who authorities say fatally shot an unarmed teenager in Florida, said they have lost contact with their client and no longer represent him. Legal advisor Craig Sonner said, “He has gone on his own. I’m not sure what he’s doing or who he’s talking to. If he wants us to come back as counsel, he will contact us.” Sonner, who spoke with reporters alongside attorney Hal Uhrig, said the last time they were in touch with Zimmerman was on Sunday, but they have never met with him in person.
“One of the things every defense attorney tells his client is don’t talk to the prosecutors. Don’t talk to the cops. Frankly, don’t talk to anybody until we get control of the situation and do it through counsel,” Uhrig said, commenting on the account that Zimmerman took it upon himself to contact Sean Hannity of Fox News and the office of the special prosecutor appointed to lead the investigation. Uhrig also reportedly suggested that Zimmerman had fled the state of Florida. “You can stop looking in Florida,” Uhrig said. “Look much farther away than that.” On CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” on Tuesday night, Uhrig defended his former client saying, “We believe in his case; we believe in his innocence. We were prepared to defend him all the way. But we simply cannot defend somebody who won’t communicate with us and who is off the reservation talking to people we’ve advised him not to talk to.” Zimmerman shot and killed an unarmed 17-year-old, Trayvon Martin, who was walking back to his father’s fiancé’s house from a convenience store.
