Zimmerman trial costs public $902,000

The five-week trial of George Zimmerman that ended in his acquittal in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin cost the public $902,000, officials said. Zimmerman, who was charged with murder in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17, in Sanford, began June 10 and a six-member jury returned the not guilty verdict on July 13. The biggest cost associated with the trial was paid to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, which spent $425,000 providing security, planning and logistics during the trial, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Wednesday. The second biggest was the $183,000 the city of Sanford spent on police overtime. Sanford police decided to up security to curb potential violent protests as well as protect Zimmerman, who had received death threats. Juror costs also were high. The Clerk of Courts Maryanne Morse spent $34,600 during the jury's 22-day sequestration, during which the six members of the jury lived in a hotel and were isolated from their families and media reports. The trial costs are based, in part, on estimates and do not include criminal investigation or pretrial costs, such as the $80,000 the Seminole-Brevard State Attorney's Office paid to have Special Prosecutor Angela Corey work on the case. Nor did the trial costs include what Zimmerman and his lawyers spent.