ORLANDO, Fla. - George Zimmerman's defense attorney has established a new website, Facebook and Twitter accounts to provide details about the high-profile, controversial case.
On gzlegalcase.com, attorney Mark O'Mara acknowledges that it is "unusual for a legal defense to maintain a social media presence on behalf of a defendant, but we also acknowledge that this is a very unusual case."
Zimmerman is charged with killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in a Sanford, Fla., neighborhood Feb. 26. Zimmerman contends the shooting was in self-defense.
On the website, the Orlando attorney said he contends social media cannot be ignored. "It is now a critical part of presidential politics. It has been part of revolutions in the Middle East, and it is going to be an unavoidable part of high-profile legal cases, just as traditional media has been and continues to be," the website said. "We feel it would be irresponsible to ignore the robust online conversation."
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The site said the defense is working to identify and eliminate fraudulent websites and social media profiles that pretend to represent Zimmerman. O'Mara will not comment on facts surrounding the case.
"Part of our presence online is to discourage public speculation about the facts of the case," the site said.
The defense used the site to discuss how it plans to proceed with requesting case documents from state prosecutors, known as the discovery process.
