Trayvon Martin Shooter Charged with 2nd Degree Murder

The special prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin shooting, Angela Corey, announced Wednesday that a second-degree murder charge has been brought against George Zimmerman. An attorney for the neighborhood watch volunteer said his client would plead not guilty.

Corey said the 28-year-old Zimmerman was in custody, but would not say where out of safety concerns. She did say that Zimmerman turned himself in.

Zimmerman is expected to appear before a magistrate Thursday, which will start the formal prosecution.

A second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"I can tell you we didn't come to this decision lightly," Corey said. "Let me emphasize, we do not prosecute by public pressure or by petition. We prosecute based on facts of any given case, as well as the laws of the State of Florida."

Zimmerman has asserted since the Feb. 26 killing that he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense after the two fought. The case has sparked protests and calls for Zimmerman's arrest.

Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara 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.

A factor in the pace of the probe has been Florida's so-called stand your ground law, which gives people wide latitude to claim self-defense in a killing and other altercations. Prosecutors will have to prove Zimmerman intentionally went after Martin instead of shooting him in self-defense, refute arguments that a Florida law empowered him to use deadly force and get past a judge's ruling at a pretrial hearing.

The lack of an arrest in the 17-year-old's death had sparked outrage and rallies for justice in the Orlando suburb and across the country. But Special Prosecutor Corey defended the Sanford Police Department's work on the case, while noting that she had only been on the case for three weeks.

Corey would not give details on the case, or what led to her decision to bring charges against Zimmerman, saying the case would be tried in a court of law and not in public or the media.

"When we charge a person with a crime, we are equally committed to justice on their behalf, as we are on our victim's behalf," she said.

She also would not comment on the stand your ground law that is on the books in Florida.

Meanwhile, Martin's parents renewed their calls for calm. Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, says she knows "justice will be served" in her son's death.

Fulton and Trayvon's father Tracy Martin spoke at a news conference in Washington, where Attorney General Eric Holder said earlier that he would take appropriate action if evidence of a civil rights crime is found in the shooting.

Corey said she had been in contact with the DOJ, but they are conducting their own investigation.

She also said we spoke with Martin's parents to let them know that charges had been filed and Zimmerman is in custody.