Print
Close
Exclusive: George Zimmerman breaks silence on 'Hannity'
advertisement
Watch the latest video at FoxNews.com
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," July 18, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: And tonight in an interview that you will only see right here on "Hannity," George Zimmerman, the man charged with second degree murder of Trayvon Martin, breaks his silence.
Now, earlier today I traveled to Seminole County, Florida, where Zimmerman is currently free on bail and awaiting trial. And for the first time, both he and his attorney Mark O'Mara, they discuss what happened the night of that tragic shooting, the aftermath, and what lies ahead for them. In this exclusive interview, they go through the events of that night, and they straighten out the record about Internet rumors involving me, and George delivers a message to the Martin family and to you, the American people.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: A lot of time has passed since this incident with Trayvon. How do you feel about it now that you have had some time to reflect on what has happened?
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: I haven't really had the time to reflect on it. When I was in jail, obviously I was in solitary confinement and I had a lot of time to think and reflect. I just think it's a tragic situation, and I hope it's the most difficult thing I'll ever go through in my life. But --
• Video Part 1: George Zimmerman breaks his silence on 'Hannity'
• Video Part 2: Zimmerman: 'He punched me and broke my nose'
• Video Part 3: Zimmerman does not regret carrying gun: 'all God's plan'
• Video Part 4: Zimmerman on Black Panther bounty, rush to judgment
• Video Part 5: Zimmerman addresses allegations made by 'Witness No. 9'
• Video Part 6: George Zimmerman's message to Trayvon's parents, America
HANNITY: Let's go back to the night of the shooting. Take us back to that night. You were going to the store.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: Let's start at the beginning.
ZIMMERMAN: I was going to Target to do my weekly grocery shopping. Sunday nights was the only nights -- well, Sunday after we mentored the kids, we would always go grocery shopping and do our cooking for the week. So I wanted to go to Target and I headed out. And that's the last time I've been home.
HANNITY: Since then. You never went back since that day.
ZIMMERMAN: No.
HANNITY: We all have heard the 911 call. On that 911 call, you had mentioned that there had been a number of break-ins in the neighborhood.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Why were you a community watch person? How long were you involved in that and why did you become a community watch person?
ZIMMERMAN: In August of 2011, there was a home invasion. A young lady was home with her nine-month-old baby, and they broke into her sliding glass door. She barricaded herself in the upstairs bedroom. And my wife was home by herself, and she saw the people that burglarized her run through our backyard with their belongings. And even though my wife wasn't certain what happened, that was enough to scare her and shake her up. And I promised her I would do what I could to keep her safe.
HANNITY: Now, your gun was legal. You had a legal weapon in the state of Florida.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Why did you feel the need to carry a gun? A lot of people maybe have a weapon inside their home, but you decided to carry yours. Why did you think it was necessary to have a weapon with you? And did you carry it at all times?
ZIMMERMAN: I carried it at all times except for when I went to work.
HANNITY: A lot of this case legally -- and we are going to get to Mark in a few minutes here and ask him about a lot of legal aspects, because there are so many of them in this case -- has to do with stand your ground. You have heard a lot about it. And I was just curious, prior to this night, this incident, had you even heard stand your ground?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: You have never heard about it before?
ZIMMERMAN: No.
HANNITY: Well. Now, on -- it was very interesting, in the 911 call that everybody has heard, you said that all of a sudden you found somebody who looked suspicious, he may be on drugs. That was one of the earlier comments that you made in that 911 call. What made you think he was suspicious, and what made you think that he might be on drugs?
ZIMMERMAN: I felt he was suspicious because it was raining. He was in-between houses, cutting in-between houses, and he was walking very leisurely for the weather. I -- it didn't look like he was a resident that went to check their mail and got caught in the rain and was hurrying back home. He didn't look like a fitness fanatic that would train in the rain. He just seemed like --
HANNITY: Weren't there overhangs, though? Was he -- he was walking, he wasn't standing still? And he was walking closer to the house, which is back from the sidewalk?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Am I understanding that right?
ZIMMERMAN: The overhangs are just in front of the front doors.
HANNITY: Yes. You said he started from almost the beginning in that 911 call, you said he came towards you, and he seemed to reach for something in his waistband. Did you think that was a gun?
ZIMMERMAN: I thought he was just trying to intimidate me.
HANNITY: To make you think that there is a gun?
ZIMMERMAN: A weapon.
HANNITY: Of some kind?
ZIMMERMAN: Possibly.
HANNITY: You said in that tape something's wrong with him, he's checking me out. I don't know what his deal was. So it's almost from the very beginning you felt -- are you saying on that 911 tape that you felt threatened at that moment when you said that to the dispatch?
ZIMMERMAN: No, not particularly.
HANNITY: Then what did you mean, I don't know what his deal is, he's checking me out?
ZIMMERMAN: The way he was coming back. And I was on the phone, but I was certain I could see him saying something to me. And his demeanor, his body language, was confrontational.
HANNITY: It was a controversy from early on, George, where there was some in the media that, quote, hired expert voice analysts, and I'm certain that works, and then they ended up having to recant and rescind their analysis, where they said these, quote, expletives, get away with this all the time. Do you remember what it was that you said specifically on the tape?
ZIMMERMAN: Punks.
HANNITY: Punks. It was not a racial epithet of any type?
ZIMMERMAN: No. And I can tell you that when the police played it for me in the station, it was clear as day.
HANNITY: Yeah. You said -- then we get to the issue where you said to -- on the 911 call that he's running. You said that to the dispatch. Is there any chance in retrospect as you look back on that night and what happened, and the nation obviously is paying a lot of attention to this--
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: -- trying to maybe get into the mind-set, because we also have learned that Trayvon was speaking with his girlfriend supposedly at the time -- that maybe he was afraid of you, didn't know who you were?
ZIMMERMAN: No.
HANNITY: You don't think -- why do you think that he was running then?
ZIMMERMAN: Maybe I said running, but he was more --
HANNITY: You said he's running.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes. He was like skipping, going away quickly. But he wasn't running out of fear.
HANNITY: You could tell the difference?
ZIMMERMAN: He wasn't running.
HANNITY: So he wasn't actually running?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: OK. Because that's what you said to the dispatcher, that you thought he was running.
Let me ask you this. At that point, we can hear the unbuckling of the seatbelt, hear you opening the car door, and this dispatch asked you at that point, and this became a very key moment that everyone in the media focused on, and the dispatcher asked you, "are you following him?" And you said yes. Explain that.
ZIMMERMAN: I meant that I was going in the same direction as him, to keep an eye on him so that I could tell the police where he was going. I didn't mean that I was actually pursuing him.
HANNITY: So this moment where someone suggested you were out of breath on that tape, you yourself were not running?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: And you I think made a statement to the police that it was the wind as you were getting out of the car and moving, and that was the sound we hear, not you out of breath?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And coming up, just what happened during that fateful missing minute just before the shooting. George Zimmerman, he will tell us coming up next. Plus, he has a message to the Martin family and to the American people. That and much more straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity." We continue now with more of my exclusive interview with George Zimmerman and his attorney, Mark O'Mara.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: What did you do from that moment forward? Because this is where we get into this minute gap in this case, you know, and what did you do from that minute forward when the dispatch said "we don't need you to follow him?" What did you do next?
ZIMMERMAN: I walked across the sidewalk on to my street, Retreat View Circle, where I thought I would meet a police officer that I had called.
HANNITY: So you did not continue to follow him at that point?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir. No, sir.
HANNITY: All right. So you continue from there, you sounded at that moment on the tape, though, a little bit distracted. What was the distraction? Were you looking for him, or?
ZIMMERMAN: I wanted to make sure that -- I believe they asked me for my address, and I wanted to be sure that nobody was lingering and could hear my address and then come back. And I was making sure that there wasn't anybody that was going to surprise me, and just trying to give them an accurate location.
HANNITY: Because they said, you know, can we meet you here at a certain location, and you said have them call me.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: Why did you want them at that point to call you?
ZIMMERMAN: I hadn't given them a correct address. I gave them a -- the clubhouse vicinity. However, I was walking through to my street, Retreat View Circle, and I was going to give them the actual street number and name.
HANNITY: How long was it, George, after that, that you saw Trayvon again? Because you said you stopped, that you did not continue pursuing him. When did you next see Trayvon Martin?
ZIMMERMAN: Less than 30 seconds.
HANNITY: OK. Where were you? Where exactly were you at that point, and how far away were you from your car at that moment?
ZIMMERMAN: I'd guess about 100 feet or more.
HANNITY: So you never went further than how far approximately from your car?
ZIMMERMAN: I would estimate it to be approximately 100 feet.
HANNITY: So you never went further than that from the car?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: OK. And so at that point, Trayvon is -- all of a sudden you turned around and there he was?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: What happened next?
ZIMMERMAN: He asked me what my problem was.
HANNITY: Expletive problem?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir. And I was wearing a rain jacket, and I had put my cell phone in my jacket pocket, as opposed to my jeans pocket where I normally keep it. And I immediately went to grab my phone to this time call 911 instead of a non-emergency, and when I reached into my pants pocket -- because that's where I keep it out of habit -- it wasn't there, and I was shocked. I looked up and he punched me and broke my nose.
HANNITY: One shot?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: One shot?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: So he said to you, you have expletive, you have a problem. Those are the exact words used. You remember it?
ZIMMERMAN: "Do you have a problem? What's your problem?"
HANNITY: What's your problem.
And you said to him, "I don't have a problem."
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: You reached for your phone?
ZIMMERMAN: I reached for it as I was saying, "No, I don't have a problem."
HANNITY: And at that point you just got hit?
ZIMMERMAN: He was already within arm's length from me.
HANNITY: And was that the punch in the nose that broke your nose?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Right there, and you went immediately down to the ground?
ZIMMERMAN: I don't remember if I went immediately to the ground or if he pushed me to the ground but I ended up on the ground.
HANNITY: What do you remember happened from there? Because there were police reports and descriptions that you gave, and that you were a little bit dazed, obviously. And at one point, you said that you wanted him -- you wanted to get -- stop him from hitting your head on the cement.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Is that what you told the police?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: OK. So after that first hit, what happened next?
ZIMMERMAN: He started bashing my head into the concrete sidewalk. I was -- as soon as he broke my nose, I was -- I started yelling for help. So, I was disoriented. And he started slamming my head into the concrete.
HANNITY: Which is where the lacerations came from?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: You said it was like your head was going to explode was a comment that you had given to the police.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir. He continued to punch me in the head.
HANNITY: How many times would you estimate that he punched you?
ZIMMERMAN: Several. More than a dozen.
HANNITY: And hitting you hard.
At what moment did you -- because you said you feared for your life. At what moment do you remember when you literally -- do you remember when you thought, "I may die"? Is that -- because you said that you felt -- you feared for your life. Do you remember the exact moment when you felt that?
ZIMMERMAN: In hindsight, I would say when he was slamming my head into the concrete, and I thought I would lose consciousness. I didn't know what would happen at that point.
HANNITY: And how close is the concrete to the grass? Because a big issue is also the grass stains that you had on your clothes. And you made a statement to the police you wanted to get to the grass. Was that to prevent your head from banging on to the cement again?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: How close was that in proximity?
ZIMMERMAN: It butts up into the concrete.
HANNITY: And were you able to get to the grass?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: And how did you do that?
ZIMMERMAN: I guess you could say shimmy. He was straddled on me with his full weight, and I would try to sit up and push myself down. And whether I would sit up, that's when he would take the opportunity to slam my head back down and punch me in the head and continue to hit my nose.
HANNITY: Was he talking to you a lot during this fight, during this -- when he was beating you? Because you were saying he was beating you and pounding your head into the cement. Was he talking to you during that time?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: And he would say --
ZIMMERMAN: Cursing, telling me to shut up, and then finally telling me he was going to kill me.
HANNITY: And he said those words? And he said it -- when did he first see your gun?
ZIMMERMAN: After we were on the ground, I shimmied with him on top of me, and it made my jacket rise up. He, being on top of me, saw it on my right side.
HANNITY: What happened after that?
ZIMMERMAN: I felt him take -- he had -- after he couldn't hit my head on the concrete anymore, he started to try to suffocate me. And I continued to take -- push his hands off of my mouth and my nose, particularly because it was excruciating having a broken nose and him putting his weight on it.
And that's the point in time when he started telling me to shut up, shut up, shut up.
HANNITY: Why did he tell you to shut up?
ZIMMERMAN: I don't know.
HANNITY: We hear the screams on the one recording from a neighbor that was calling the police. And there's been some dispute whose voice that is. Was that your voice screaming or was that Trayvon Martin's screaming?
ZIMMERMAN: That was my voice. Absolutely.
HANNITY: That was your voice?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: And the police said they heard at one point 14 screams, you were screaming that loud?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: And you said to the police at one point that he put his hand over your mouth. Do you think that was to silence you from screaming?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir. I believe he -- from what the investigators told me, he knew that I was talking to the police. And I was yelling so that -- I believed that the police officer was there and they just couldn't me. So, I was yelling in the hopes that they were in the vicinity and they would come when they heard me yelling.
HANNITY: Do you remember when you yourself reached for your weapon? Do you remember that moment.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Tell us about that.
ZIMMERMAN: At that point, I realized that it wasn't my gun, it wasn't his gun, it was the gun.
HANNITY: Did he say anything? Because you said he was talking a lot about the gun. Did he say he noticed the gun?
ZIMMERMAN: He said, "You are going to die tonight (EXPLETIVE DELETED)" and took one hand off of my mouth and I felt it going down my chest towards my belt and my holster, and that's when I -- I didn't have anymore time.
HANNITY: Do you think you acted more out of a conscious thought? I mean, I know these events happen very quickly. Do you remember conscientiously thinking I have to grab my gun or did you just do it? Was there a conscious thought that went through your head that you thought you were going to die and that you had to take this -- you had to get your weapon and fire?
ZIMMERMAN: I'd love to give you an answer.
HANNITY: You don't know?
ZIMMERMAN: It just happened so quickly.
HANNITY: Now, there was an eyewitness that was out from the very beginning that, in fact, did tell the police the night of the shooting that he saw Trayvon on top of you and did see the beating. There is no witness to the actual shooting itself, right? Correct.
ZIMMERMAN: Besides myself.
HANNITY: Besides yourself?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And much more coming up. Does George Zimmerman regret getting out of the car to follow Trayvon Martin? Does he regret carrying his gun? That and his message to the American people and to the Trayvon Martin family -- straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity."
And here's more of my exclusive interview with George Zimmerman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: What do you want to say to people that did rush to judgment, that suggested that there was racial profiling in this case, and that there was some other motivation in this case?
ZIMMERMAN: That I'm not a racist and I'm not a murderer.
HANNITY: When you think back, there was one report or police report that actually said you didn't know after you fired, you didn't think -- you thought you missed?
ZIMMERMAN: I didn't think I hit him, yes.
HANNITY: Yes.
So what happened immediately after the shooting, then, George? I understand one guy came out and he said he had a flash light, that he spoke to you, and you said to call your wife, tell her what happened, "that I shot somebody." Do you remember that conversation?
ZIMMERMAN: The conversation I had with the gentleman or --
HANNITY: Yes.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: You do remember that conversation?
And he did talk about it, and his suggestion was -- that you were very matter of fact about it. Do you remember what you said to him? Do you think you were in a state of shock? Did you know that Trayvon -- when did you know that Trayvon had died?
ZIMMERMAN: When I -- probably about an hour after I got to the police station.
HANNITY: After the shooting did you -- and you saw that he was laying there, and obviously injured, there was a moment when you realized he was shot?
ZIMMERMAN: Like I said, he sat up and he said something to the effect of "you got it" or "you got me". I assumed he meant, OK, you got the gun, I didn't get it. I'm not going to fight anymore. At which point I got out from under him.
HANNITY: Is there anything you regret? Do you regret getting out of the car to follow Trayvon that night?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: Do you regret that you had a gun that night?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: Do you feel you wouldn't be here for this interview if you didn't have that gun?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: You feel you would not be here?
ZIMMERMAN: I feel it was all God's plan and for me to second guess it or judge it --
HANNITY: Is there anything you might do differently in retrospect now that the time has passed a little bit?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: You know, the detective said that you had -- detective Singleton said, quoted you as saying the bad guys always get away. You also said that on the 911 tape.
Did you have a feeling that there were a lot of people that do get away with crimes? In other words, were you sort of predisposed in your mind some way to think that criminals get away too often?
ZIMMERMAN: Not in general. I think in our neighborhood there's geographic advantages for burglaries.
HANNITY: Do you have any idea -- why do you think Trayvon would have confronted you the way he did? I made a comment on the air one day and I got beaten up pretty bad for saying this could have all been a terrible misunderstanding or mistake.
Do you think maybe -- is there any possibility he thought you were after him and you thought he was after you and there was some misunderstanding in any way?
ZIMMERMAN: I have wrestled with that for a long time, but I can't -- one of my biggest issues through this ordeal has been the media conjecture, and I can't assume or make believe.
HANNITY: The parents of Trayvon Martin, they lost their son. This is your first interview. What would you like to tell them?
ZIMMERMAN: I would tell them that, again, I'm sorry.
I don't have -- my wife and I don't have any children. I have nephews that I love more than life. I love them more than myself. And I know when they were born, it was a different, unique bond and love that I have with them. And I love my children, even though they aren't born yet.
And I am sorry that they buried their child. I can't imagine what it must feel like, and I pray for them daily.
HANNITY: Would you like to talk to them at some point?
ZIMMERMAN: I'm certainly open to it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And coming up next, George Zimmerman sets the record straight.
HANNITY: Coming up next, George Zimmerman sets the record straight about Internet rumors involving offers to pay for his defense. He addresses the latest bombshell allegation that a relative accuses him of molestation.
And delivers a direct message to the Martin family and to the American people. Straight ahead tonight on "Hannity."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: Welcome back to "Hannity" and we continue now with our exclusive interview with George Zimmerman.
You face second degree murder charges, a possible life sentence. Do you think about that?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir, every day.
HANNITY: What do you think about regarding that? Do you feel in the end justice -- that people will believe you and that people will understand or are you that confident that you had a right to do this?
ZIMMERMAN: It's a --
HANNITY: Defend yourself.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir. It's a finite situation that I have been placed in where I am confident in the system. I really have no choice but to believe still in the system.
HANNITY: The one witness that you first met, the guy with the cell phone that I mentioned said -- asked about your demeanor right after the shooting. He was the first person I guess on the scene?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: The first person you saw. And he said you looked like you had been, quote, "butt whooped," like you had had a fight and you were asking call my wife, just tell my wife. But, you know, he was acting like it was nothing. Is that how you were feeling at the time? Because you didn't find out, you said, until later you said that Trayvon had passed away.
ZIMMERMAN: No, I knew that I had discharged my firearm, and I was scared, nervous. I also thought the police were going to come and see me with the firearm and shoot me. I mean, I was terrified.
HANNITY: Did you look over at Trayvon? You obviously at some point recognized he had been shot. You didn't know it at the beginning. Did you look over at him at anytime and realize he was in really bad shape?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: At no point. And how long was it between the time you shot him to the time the police actually got to the scene?
ZIMMERMAN: It felt like forever. I would say 15 to 30 seconds.
HANNITY: It was that quick?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Immediate, so in other words, they had already been on their way and they were there within 15, 30 seconds. What do you make of all the national media attention in this case? There are crimes that happen every day. The nation is focused on your case. Why do you think that is and what do you make of it? What does it mean to you?
ZIMMERMAN: It's surreal. I don't like that they have rushed to judgment the way they have. I feel that any time they have a story that's remotely positive, they interpret it negatively.
HANNITY: By the way, we did have conversations, you and I, and I was asking you about the case.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: I was asking you for an interview?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: There was a report suggesting that I offered to pay your legal fees.
ZIMMERMAN: Never happened.
HANNITY: Never happened.
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: And just for the record, you have been offered nothing to do this interview?
ZIMMERMAN: Not a thing.
HANNITY: And what we talked about specifically was about your case and only about your case, and that's it? And I was asking you for an interview. You had told me that you were alone in a hotel room, hadn't talked to your family in weeks, your aunt, didn't have an attorney at that point and that was leading up to your arrest.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Do you remember that moment?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Where were you mentally then? Because when I was talking to you, I was concerned.
ZIMMERMAN: So was I. I was at a position where I was talking daily to one state police officer that had legitimate concerns for my safety. My wife, I asked her to stay in Florida, I was out of state.
HANNITY: You stayed out of contact? You were afraid to even bring your dad in and he had recently been sick.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir. He had had a heart attack about two weeks prior to the incident. But I asked my wife to stay in Florida and to continue her nursing education. She was about a week away from finishing when I drove to Jacksonville and turned myself in.
HANNITY: There was a bounty put on your head by the new Black Panther party, wanted dead or alive.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Nobody has been arrested.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Do you feel your life is in jeopardy?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: By the Black Panther Party?
ZIMMERMAN: Amongst others, yes, sir.
HANNITY: And you've had multiple death threats?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: You know, look at what happened in this case because it became so public. Spike Lee is tweeting out what he thinks is your home address, the Reverend Al Sharpton and NBC News tries to use this case to bring up the issue of racial profiling.
What do you say to Spike Lee? Didn't know the facts of the case, they hadn't been revealed, what do you say to Al Sharpton and those who rushed to judgment? What do you think their motives were?
ZIMMERMAN: I can't guess what their motives are. I would just ask for an apology. I mean, if I did something that was wrong, I would apologize.
HANNITY: And coming up, I asked George Zimmerman about witness number nine, a relative who claims that Zimmerman molested her when they were children. Also, what is his message to Trayvon's parents? That's coming up straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: We continue now with our exclusive sit-down interview with George Zimmerman and his attorney, Mark O'Mara.
There is this witness number nine, this recently came out and witness number nine suggested that you and your family from a young age had racist views.
And then that was one statement that was originally made, and that then became that from the time this woman was six until she was nineteen, that you had molested her.
ZIMMERMAN: I think that it's actually fortunate that the FBI did get involved, of all people, to investigate a crime. I mean, it's the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and they cleared me of any racial profiling, racial wrongdoing.
And I think that, frankly, it's ironic that the same -- the only person that they found that could say anything about me being remotely racist, and again, she didn't state that I said anything racist.ZIMMERMAN: I think that it's actually fortunate that the FBI did get involved, of all people, to investigate a crime. I mean it's the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and they cleared me of any racial profiling, racial wrongdoing. And I think that, frankly, it's ironic that the same -- the only person that they found that could say anything about me being remotely racist, and again, she didn't state that I said anything racist.
She didn't even state that I was in the same room when anything racist was said, but it is ironic that the person, the one and only person that they could find that says anything remotely to me being a racist also happens to be the person that claims I'm deviant.
HANNITY: Do you have any comments about witness number nine?
MARK O'MARA, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S ATTORNEY: You know, I don't know that they were going to take the time, effort, resources to focus on that since I think it's going to be a nonissue in the trial and quite honestly I don't know that we want to be in a position of now focusing on attacking a cousin who has made whatever allegations she's made that's probably will never see the light of day in the courtroom.
HANNITY: What about Detective -- Serino's report where he suggests that George be charged with manslaughter, not second-degree murder? Do you believe that the second-degree murder charge was an overcharge?
O'MARA: While in the beginning I defer to Angela Corey's decision to charge second-degree, I said wait until we see the evidence. All of the evidence has come forth to date. And again it's not all out. But all of the evidence that have come forth to date I've yet to see evidence that suggest the elements of second-degree.
HANNITY: But the "Stand Your Ground" law, do you believe it's applicable in this case?
O'MARA: Yes. And I haven't said that affirmatively in the beginning because again without the evidence, but now that we have a lot of evidence concerning what is self-defense, I think it's a proper presentation to go to a jury. And again, remember whether "Stand Your Ground" or a simple self-defense, what that law says is that if you're acting in reasonable belief of fear of great bodily injury or death, so the focus is if you're in fear of a great bodily injury then you're allowed to respond to that with deadly force.
HANNITY: Your initial bond, George, was $150,000. That bond was revoked and they accused you of hiding some financial matters as it related to donations that had been given to you. That also now has involved your wife in this particular case and a pretty stinging rebuke from your judge. You went back to jail as a result of this.
Tell us, you know, in your words, what happened. It seems that you had an opportunity to speak up and say, yes, there's other finances here and didn't do it. Did you think conscientiously about it? Explain what happened to you.
O'MARA: Unfortunately, Sean, I have to interrupt you at this point.
HANNITY: Sure.
O'MARA: I'm trying not to but right now the state has charged his wife Shellie with a crime regarding that. And they have also suggested or at least the court in its order suggested that George may well have committed a crime. Realizing that those potential charges exist against George and also that they presently exist against Shellie, I just don't think that we can talk about those precise evidence -- or elements because --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: That's all elements, including the conversations on the tapes, the jailhouse tapes that you had conversations with your wife, et cetera?
O'MARA: I think so. Unfortunately, with the state's position to try and charge his wife with a crime as well, if that wasn't on the table, I don't know that we would have the same restrictions.
HANNITY: All right. Let's talk a little bit about how you were treated in jail. Because then you went -- you were in jail, you went back to jail. How did that -- how did -- what was that like for you?
ZIMMERMAN: I had taken -- I know it's been publicized that I took a community volunteer kind of law enforcement academy where civilians just get to see what it's like for law enforcement. I had taken a tour of John E. Polk jail where I was at, and I remember on my tour they said that they believed in the motto that respect begets respect. And I remember thinking at the time, is that something they just tell us or do they really believe in that? And I got to see firsthand that they really do believe in that.
HANNITY: And obviously the prison population was very aware of your case being so high profile. Did they treat you differently?
ZIMMERMAN: The inmates?
HANNITY: The inmates, yes.
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: In what way?
ZIMMERMAN: I believe that a lot of them personally know that sometimes the media doesn't portray things correctly. There was one instance when I was in the rec yard by myself and in the window a few inmates got together and just made a sign of strength to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And coming up next, what George Zimmerman wants the Martin family to know, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HANNITY: And now the conclusion of my interview with George Zimmerman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: You had called police on at least four prior occasions and had mentioned black male suspects. I wanted to give you a chance to respond why you called, what were those instances about.
ZIMMERMAN: They -- they also stated that, and I never volunteered that information. It was always at their request that I describe them. And even when I described them I didn't volunteer their race until they asked me. And there was also Hispanic kids and white kids that were in the neighborhood.
HANNITY: That you made calls about?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: There was an incident that I read, is this true, where you took on the local police department as it related to another case where there was, I understand, I think it was a homeless man?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: That had been beaten up?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: And the police were under fire?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: And you came out publicly in favor of the person that was beaten up?
ZIMMERMAN: My wife and I -- I saw that the story wasn't getting media coverage. There was one TV station that aired it. And it was not subject to interpretation. It was caught on video. And my wife and I, students and myself working full time decided that we had to try and do something. We drove around to churches on Sunday, put flyers on people's cars and most of the time approached people, handing out flyers. And we --
HANNITY: Is this person a minority?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: And you felt was mistreated by the local police?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: You took, what, as many as two, three lie detector tests? Voice?
ZIMMERMAN: Computerized voice.
HANNITY: Computerized voice?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: And the result was, quote, "no deception indicated."
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: You did that voluntarily?
ZIMMERMAN: Absolutely.
HANNITY: Why?
ZIMMERMAN: I wanted to be as transparent with law enforcement as possible. I didn't have anything to hide.
HANNITY: George, there's -- the media, the special interests and the narrative, it seems, they want to make about this case is that -- and you could read the articles if you haven't already. It's a white guy that killed an unarmed black youth holding Skittles and an iced tea.
What do you say to that?
ZIMMERMAN: Again, I appreciate you not rushing to judgment. I think that people assumed I was white because of my last name. My further is Caucasian, my mother is Hispanic. But English was my second language, believe it or not. My grandmother and my mother raised me when my dad was in the Army and he wasn't home for a lot of my infancy. So it's -- I consider myself, first of all, an American, but a Hispanic American, and I don't know -- I think it's fair that they rush to judgment to assume that.
HANNITY: Do you feel the overwhelming majority of the media rushed to judgment?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
HANNITY: With a few exceptions?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Let me -- let me ask you this. I want to go back to one specific in the case if I can. And it's the issue of you following him and we heard -- I meant to ask you earlier about the dispatch call and you said you stopped, you didn't follow him. There's one moment that you were apparently, as you look at the grounds of where this took place, and there's the apartment and there's the overhangs, and then there's another street on the other side. And you had gone to the other street, correct?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: At some point. So how do you get to the other street if you were not following him? I mean where were you -- where were you going at that point?
ZIMMERMAN: I was walking from where I had parked my car towards my street. He went right down in between the houses. I walked straight across to --
HANNITY: You mean -- in that sense were you following him?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: You weren't following him?
ZIMMERMAN: No, sir.
HANNITY: And this is after the 911 call?
ZIMMERMAN: During.
HANNITY: During the 911 call?
ZIMMERMAN: When they stated we don't need you to do this.
HANNITY: So why were you walking back to your street and not back to the car --
ZIMMERMAN: I was --
HANNITY: At that point? If I'm -- I'm trying to get the chronology right.
ZIMMERMAN: Certainly. Where I parked my car was the back of townhouses. There was no way to know what the street number was. And I knew if I walked straight through, that's -- it's a circle, Retreat View Circle. I knew if I walked straight through there that would be Retreat View Circle, and then I could tell them exactly what -- one, two, three, four, Retreat View Circle, and not just a general area of where my car was like I had done previously.
HANNITY: I asked you if you wanted to -- if you could speak to Trayvon Martin's family. I asked you if you could speak to even the American public, there's so many people that have so many opinions that vary so much. You know, if you wanted to look into that camera and tell the American public something about George Zimmerman and about -- this case with Trayvon Martin that has gotten such media attention, what would you want to tell them?
ZIMMERMAN: First, I would like to readdress your question when you asked if I would have done anything differently. When you asked that I thought you were referring to if I would not have talked to the police, if I would have maybe have gotten an attorney, if I wouldn't have taken the CVSA and that I stand by, I would not have done anything differently.
But I do wish that there was something, anything I could have done that wouldn't have put me in the position where I had to take his life. And I do want to tell everyone, my wife, my family, my parents, my grandmother, the Martins, the city of Stanford, and America that I am sorry that this happened.
I hate to think that because of this incident, because of my actions it's polarized and divided America and I'm truly sorry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNITY: And Greta is next. And thank you for being with us. We will see you tomorrow night.
Content and Programming Copyright 2012 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2012 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.